Before becoming one ofthe hottest and most in-demand actorson the planet,Pedro Pascalworked on many television shows, and he also worked on some prolific TV pilots that never got picked up for series — even the unairedDavid E. KelleyWonder WomanTV pilot starringAdrianne Palicki. However, right before Pascal landed his breakout role as Oberyn Martell onGame of Thrones, he had a featured role in another television pilot that never made it to air:The Sixth Gun. Based on the comic book of the same name created byCullen BunnandBrian Hurtt, the series featured a star-studded ensemble cast — not to mention, it would’ve featured Pascal playing an antagonistic gunslinger in the Old West. Additionally, there’s an amusing connection between the casting of this show and Pascal’s later hit series,The Mandalorian.
What Is ‘The Sixth Gun’ About?
The Oni Press comicThe Sixth Gunfollows the story of six mythical guns of otherworldly origins, each of which grants its holder supernatural abilities. The Sixth Gun, however, is the key to controlling all of them, and together they can unleash the apocalypse. NBC gave the property a television series pilot order back in early 2013. The show had a strong pedigree behind it with executive producersCarlton CuseandRyan Condal. (Cuse previously served as the showrunner forthe TV phenomenonLost, which concluded in 2010.)The Sixth Gunwas previously announced in 2011 as a project for another NBCUniversal network, the SyFy Channel, but NBCUniversal instead opted to pursue the IP as a project for its main network.
Bunn and Hurtt’s comic was a cult favorite, and comic book adaptations were growing steadily on television at the time.Arrowhad already become a hit on The CW, and Marvel’sAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.was in the works around this time.Robert Kirkman’sThe Walking Deadhad also becomea breakout, runaway hitfor AMC with its live-action series that debuted in 2010. However, NBC ultimately opted to pass on the pilot and did not order it to go to a television series. SoThe Sixth Gunseries will always be remembered as a case of what could’ve been.
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‘The Sixth Gun’ Is Old West Meets the Supernatural
While it might seem odd now, Pascal was not eventhe leading manof the proposedSixth Gunseries. In the pilot, Pascal is one half of a Pinkerton detective duo, Special Agent Ortega. Meanwhile, his partner is Special Agent Mercer, portrayed byAldis Hodge. The powerful and rich Missy Hume (Elena Satine) hires Ortega and Mercer to track down a former monk named Montcrief (René Auberjonois). Montcrief now possesses the mythical Sixth Gun, which once belonged to Missy’s husband, the nefarious General Oliander Hume (W. Earl Brown). Missy Hume wants Montcrief and the gun brought back to her.
The sickly Montcrief is looked after by his kindly daughter, Becky (Laura Ramsey), on a remote farm outside the town of Brimstone, where Agents Mercer and Ortega track down Becky and her father by ordering their agents to attack the farm. Montcrief manages to use the powerful gun to fend them off, and it appears this gun has the power of prophecy and the power to kill anyone the holder points it at in a single shot. Unfortunately, Montcrief is shot in the battle, and before he dies he makes his daughter promise to find a way to destroy the gun, warning her of its power and not to trust anyone who expresses interest in the gun. Becky is helped by a traveling gunslinger Drake Sinclair (Michael Huisman) and his companion, Bill John O’Henry (James LeGros).
Also looking to possess the gun is General Hume himself. In the pilot’s prologue, the General’s minion, Silas Hedgepeth (Graham McTavish) attacks a church, which turns out to be an order of secret monks, who are guarding General Hume’s tomb. Hume as a former holder of the Sixth Gun was able to survive death, but an order of monks sealed him away in a magic coffin. Silas carries the Fourth Gun, which can both kill people and raise the dead into brainwashed zombies. Silas returns Hume to Brimstone to meet with Missy, who is none too pleased that her husband is back. Missy is the holder of the Fifth Gun, which grants her eternal youth.
‘The Sixth Gun’ Featured an All-Star Cast
Besides the aforementioned cast members,Chin Han, who played Missy Hume’s assistant and second-in-command, Chow, is likely best-known for his role as Lau inChristopher Nolan’sseminalBatmanfilm,The Dark Knight, in 2008, as well as the latest live-actionMortal Kombatmovie. Meanwhile, Pascal also wasn’t the only actor from the series who would join the cast ofGame of Thrones; Huisman, who portrays Drake Sinclair in the pilot, would join the series in its fourth season, replacingEd Skreinas Daario Naharis in the juggernaut dark fantasy series.
As Becky Montcrief’s father,René Auberjonoiswas certainly best known to fans as Odo ofStar Trek: Deep Space Nine. Meanwhile, Graham McTavish was already starring inThe Hobbitfilm trilogy at the time, with the first one,The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, just released in theaters before the pilot was ordered. Last, but certainly not least, W. Earl Brown, who played General Hume, is best known for his role as Dan Dority inDeadwood. Altogether, the series would’ve had a fairly impressive cast of acting veterans who had all worked on some prestigious projects prior to being cast.
Many of the cast members would continue to go on to have significant success in film and television. Hodge recently starred oppositeDwayne “The Rock” Johnsoninthe DC comic book adventure,Black Adam, portraying the classic comic book hero Hawkman. McTavish is currently appearing in Netflix’sThe Witcherseries as Sigismund Dijkstra as well asGame of ThronesspinoffHouse of the Dragonas Harrold Westerling. (McTavish’s connection toThe Sixth Gunserved him well, considering the pilot’s creator, Ryan J. Condal, would go on to become the showrunner ofHouse of the Dragon.)
WhileThe Sixth Gunmaybe didn’t turn out to be the success story Pascal wanted despite its strong ensemble and pedigree behind the camera, the actor was soon bound forbigger and better things. About one year after NBC passed onThe Sixth Gun, he made his debut onGame of Thronesas Oberyn Martell before his career took off even further with his starring role in Netflix’sNarcosas Javier Peña and lead roles in major films such asKingsman: The Golden Circle,The Equalizer 2, andWonder Woman 1984.
Interestingly enough, while Pascal doesn’t share any scenes with Brown’s General Hume, both actors fromThe Sixth Gunwould share scenes later on inThe Mandalorian. In the Season 2 premiere episode, “Chapter 9: The Marshal,” Brown makes hisStar Warsdebut in the show as Taanti, the Weequay bartender of Freetown, whom Din Djarin (Pascal) encounters while on the search for Marshal Cobb Vanth (Timothy Olyphant). Interestingly,The Mandalorianalso has a heavy Western vibe and influence. It’s somewhat amusing that years after they worked on a failed pilot that never got off the ground, a comic book supernatural Western drama, the two actors finally appeared onscreen together ina science fantasy series with a Western bent.
‘The Sixth Gun’ Is a Look Back at the Early Stages of Pedro Pascal’s Career
Pascal’s billing as third or fourth from the top inThe Sixth Gunis proof of how hard he’s worked throughout his career to obtain his current status as a lead actor since, now that he’s starring in bothThe Mandalorianand the global phenomenonThe Last of Us. As a lackey in the employment of the evil Missy Hume, Pascal’s Agent Ortega spends most of the pilot, along with Hodge’s Agent Mercer, in pursuit of Becky after she obtains the Sixth Gun. At the very least, Pascal looks and sounds believable for the Western setting.
Agents Ortega and Mercer see little in the way of major character development. All that’s shared is that they are crooked Pinkerton detectives who work for Missy Hume to find the Montcriefs and the Sixth Gun, and they have no qualms about getting their hands dirty. While they aren’t quite like a comedy relief duo, they do have a bit ofa Bebop and Rocksteady type of vibe. Mercer and Ortega are shown for the last time in the pilot episode after they bring Becky back as a prisoner to Missy Hume’s saloon and base of operations. Agent Mercer’s attempt to grab hold of the Sixth Gun burns an occult-type brand into his skin. The guns appear to be Satanic, and only a few people can hold them without causing them extreme pain.
WhileThe Sixth Gunnever made it to series, it’s still a fun look back at Pascal when his career was still burgeoning and inits rising stages. For now, fans can enjoy Pascal’s work onThe Mandalorian, which is streaming now onDisney+, as well asThe Last of Us, which is available to stream onMax.
