Star of Supernatural, Ten Inch Hero, and Days of Our LivesJensen Ackles has been officially cast as the lead in Countdown, an upcoming drama set for release on Prime Video. The series is set to be helmed by Derek Haas, the man behind many of the great Dick Wolf franchises such as FBI and One Chicago. This comes following Haas’ exclusive deal with Amazon MGM Studios, with his exit from Wolf Entertainment freeing up his talents.
Vernon Sanders, the Amazon MGM Studios Head of Television, announced the news via a statement cited in Deadline, in which he expressed his excitement to be working with both Haas and Ackles. Sanders said,
“We are incredibly excited to be back in business with Derek Haas. He has an undeniable ability to enthrall audiences with thrilling storytelling and heart. We cannot wait for Prime Video’s global customers to experience this dynamic series, led by our very talented star, Jensen Ackles.”
This venture isn’t just coming after a deal between Haas and Amazon MGM Studios, with the production company also teaming up with Chaos Machine Prods., a company formed by Ackles and his wife Danneel Ackles.
‘Countdown’ Will Show Off Ackles’ Penchant For Action
An actor with bags of experience, Ackles’ is known for his recent turn as Solider Boy, a pastiche of Captain America, on The Boys. With his performance praised for managing to neatly balance both action and drama, long-time fans of Ackles will be anything but surprised about his addition to the upcoming Countdown, especially when reading a synopsis of the series.
As cited on Deadline, Countdown, “starts following a suspicious murder in broad daylight, which leads to LAPD officer Mark Meachum (Ackles) being recruited to join a secret task force of undercover agents from all branches of law enforcement to investigate. But as the truth of a more sinister plot comes into focus, the team must overcome their conflicting personal agendas to unite and save a city of millions.”
The exciting new project has landed a 13-episode order at Amazon, meaning that Ackles’ many followers will get plenty of time to see him take on this high-octane premise. For a streaming series, this is many more episodes than audiences are used to, with faith clearly put into Haas’ project that will see him serve as executive producer and showrunner.
Jensen Ackles’ Other Major TV Project
It’s been a busy year on TV for Ackles. The actor also made a highly-publicized appearance on CBS’s new hit series Tracker, playing Russell Shaw opposite Justin Hartley as series lead Colter Shaw. The pair played estranged brothers, and the casting was something H artley felt they had to get exactly right, as he told Collider’s Christina Radish:
“[W]hen it was time to cast Russell Shaw, I was like, ‘We built this whole thing up. It’s important that we get somebody in there that is just a juggernaut. Somebody that you would believe because he’s gonna go toe-to-toe with Colter, in a good or bad way, and that you also believe is his brother.’ And I just thought Jensen Ackles would be perfect for it.”
‘Supernatural’s Jensen Ackles Is Headed Back to TV
