Late last year, I talked about the planned A&E pilot LONGMIRE. It is based on the characters of novelist Craig Johnson.
It has been confirmed that actor Robert Taylor will play Wyoming Sheriff Walt Longmire. Taylor is best known for his portrayal of Agent Jones in THE MATRIX trilogy.
I asked Craig his thoughts on Taylor:
“The casting directors and producers sent me DVD’s of the auditions and I would watch them, and then send feedback. There were a lot of bigger names and people even I recognized, but there was this one actor, an Aussie by the name of Robert Taylor who I thought captured the role. I’m pretty sure A&E wanted a ‘name’, but there were also concerns about casting an actor that was ‘branded’ by another role. To be honest, I never thought they’d find somebody that I wouldn’t find some exception to, but they have. He’s a big, six-foot-three guy with a gentle demeanor and you can see the wheels turning when he thinks. My wife calls him the TV version of me; you know—better looking, taller, and with a great voice.”
We will have more details on the planned series in the coming weeks.
Women with a pulse will tune in if the photo is to be believed…. And they might even learn how to run the DVR if the advance press is real– you know, about the height, voice and gentle demeanor. It's all pretty ridiculous. Almost makes me wish I'd named my dog Walt instead of Sancho…. But not quite….
Robert Taylor certainly has the right look to play Walt. Maybe even better-looking than I had pictured from reading the books. I'm trusting Craig Johnson's opinion on this. He wouldn't choose someone that made a Wyoming Sheriff sound like Crocodile Dundee…right, Craig?
Taylor has that rugged look that women adore, which is perfect since we do adore Johnson's Walt Longmire. I agree with Laura in trusting Johnson's opinion. I will say, however, that I do have an image in my imagaination of how Walt and the other characters look and act. Trusting Johnson means Taylor is the perfect choice for Walt.