Upcoming Westerns starring Indians

Morten Krogh, a Norwegian from Oslo, is the man when it comes to keeping tabs on Native-themed movies and TV shows. Here's his latest MySpace bulletin:

New western movies in 2009-2010Thadd Turner, the man who produced the movie Miracle at Sage Creek (or Christmas Miracle at Sage Creek) with Irene Bedard and Wes Studi in 2005, is going to produce lots of Western movies in the nearest future. It's really great news.

The first one is Palominas (2009) with actors such as Wes Studi and Tonantzin Carmelo (rumored). It's categorized as being in production, according to IMDb.com so the data is subject to change; some names could be removed completely. Fall 2008.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1024863/

The story: Rancher and down-trodden sheriff confront hired gunmen on the Mexico border at the end of the 19th century.

The Last Horseman (2010). Release date: 24 February 2010 (USA).

Volunteer cavalry officer returns from the Mexican War of 1848 and must search for his family across the hostile West. Scheduled for filming fall 2009 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Wes Studi as Black Hawk.
Russell Means as Chief Wanashie.
David Midthunder as a Ute warrior.

Angelique Midthunder, David's wife, will work with the casting in New Mexico, according to IMDb.com.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0968289/

The Hard Ride (2009).

Director: Thadd Turner.
Writer: Thadd Turner.
Release Date: 6 November 2009 (USA).

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0490138/

With Val Kilmer, Wes Studi as Black Coyote, David Midthunder as Kiowa warrior.

Fast-paced action Western in the vein of Tombstone and Young Guns.

Action and death follow a legendary gunfighter and his close friends to 1876 Deadwood, Dakota Territory.

Scheduled for filming in Santa Fe, New Mexico, spring 2009.Comment:  I'd say this is potentially great news, not "really" great news. I haven't seen Miracle at Sage Creek, so I don't know how good it is. But I have to wonder about Thadd Turner's ability to write, direct, and produce three movies in a year and a half. If they're just potboilers, nobody will see them and they won't have any effect. They'll keep Turner and the actors employed, but that's about it.

To give you an example of what I mean, Smoke Signals, Naturally Native, and a TV movie called Big Bear all came out in 1998. Many people have seen Smoke Signals, and they're still talking about it a decade later. Almost no one has seen Naturally Native or Big Bear (including me), and no one is talking about them. Because they came and went without leaving a mark, it's as if they didn't exist.

For more on the subject, see The Best Indian Movies.