If you're craving maximum superhero per square inch of screen, it's time to get really excited for The CW's Legends of Tomorrow. The Flash and Arrow spinoff already boasts a heavy-hitter roster of seven lead heroes -- Caity Lotz's White Canary, Brandon Routh's Atom, Wentworth Miller's Captain Cold, Dominic Purcell's Heatwave, Victor Garber and Franz Drameh's Firestorm, Falk Hentschel's Hawkman, and Ciara Renee's Hawkgirl. Now, The CW has announced that Johnathon Schaech has signed on to play the popular gun-slinging DC antihero Jonah Hex.
Best known for his role in That Thing You Do, Schaech has recently delivered memorable roles on Ray Donovan, Texas Rising, and the short-lived CW series Star-Crossed. The beloved comic book character Jonah Hex -- a Civil War vet turned bounty hunter with a mangled face, a surly demeanor, and a strong moral compass -- but so far, his only live-action cinematic incarnation has been the eponymous 2010 megabomb starring Josh Brolin and Megan Fox. Legends of Tomorrow has an opportunity to get the character right when the series introduces him in the Old West-set 11th episode with the possibility to recur.
Here's the official character description:
A true legends of the Old West, a morally ambiguous gunslinger with a penchant for danger. Surprisingly, he knows a thing or two about time travel and the future, but is at home in the Wild West. He’s been battling outlaws and gangs for awhile now, and advises the team to be extra careful when they arrive in the small town of Salvation.
Executive producer Marc Guggenheim told Variety, they were eager to travel back to the Old West from the moment they figured out Legends of Tomorrow would include time travel, “But if you’re going to do a story set in the DC Universe version of the Old West, you simply MUST include Jonah Hex in it. We’re thrilled about bringing another well known, beloved DC character to television.”
During the network's TCA Winter Press Tour presentation, series producers teased the possibility that Legends might have a rotating line-up of superheroes in future seasons, so it's possible that if Jonah Hex is a big hit, he could return in a big way down the line.
What do you guys think of the casting? Do you like Schaech for the role? How do you see the grizzly gun-slinger fitting into the crazy superpower-packed world of Legends of Tomorrow? Sound off in the comments below.
