Everything is bigger in Texas, including Brendan Fraser's hair. Or at least, the braided wig they've put him in. The cast for History's eight-hour miniseries Texas Rising is also huge. The series will focus on the rise of the Texas Rangers following the Alamo, and stars Bill Paxton as the legendary Sam Houston, alongside Brendan Fraser, Ray Liotta, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Olivier Martinez, Thomas Jane, Christopher McDonald, Jeremy Davies, Chad Michael Murray, Max Thieriot, Robert Knepper, Rhys Coiro, Crispin Glover, Jeff Fahey, Rob Morrow, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, and Kris Kristofferson.

Kris Kristofferson! I'm in. (Seriously, what a great and sort of completely strange cast).

According to History,

The Alamo was not the end of the story, it was only the beginning, and TEXAS RISING details what followed in the fight for an independent Texas. In 1836, west of the Mississippi was considered the Wild West and the Texas frontier was viewed as hell on earth. With colliding cultures all fighting for stakes to this territory, no one was safe. But this was a time of bravery, a time to die for what you believed in and a time to stand tall against the fierce Mexican General Santa Anna. General Sam Houston, the rag tag Rangers and the legendary "Yellow Rose of Texas,” lead this story of the human will to fight for freedom despite insurmountable odds and to claim a piece of history for all eternity.

History has dabbled in several other miniseries in the last few years, but most, despite their movie-star affiliations (like Houdini with Adrian Brody, and Sons of Liberty starring Ben Barnes), have been mediocre. The network hasn't yet been able to recapture the ratings or acclaim of 2012's Hatfields & McCoys, but perhaps the return of Bill Paxton (who also starred in that series), will bring the magic once again.

But mostly, those braids (via EW):

Texas Rising premieres on Memorial Day. In the meantime, check out these cast portraits (via History) of Ray Liotta, Bill Paxton, Olivier Martinez, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.