Gillian Anderson & Lena Headey Lead Netflix’s New Western Drama, The Abandons
Actors Gillian Anderson and Lena Headey in a Western drama on Netflix? Colour us intrigued. Netflix’s new drama The Abandons, which is set to release next month, will focus on a devout woman trying to build a family for herself in the often harsh conditions of the Old West. Things are made even more complicated when rich aristocrats claim possession of her home, and she gets caught up in a dispute with an iron-willed widow. Intrigued? Read on for all you need to know.
What is The Abandons about?
Set in the Washington Territory in the 1850s, the plot revolves around two families. One is an adoptive family of orphans and outcasts, led and protected by Fiona Nolan (played by Headey), a devout Irish woman. Having never been able to conceive a child of her own, she has built her own family by adopting several orphans she discovered, naming them the Abandons. She is certain that what she’s doing has a higher purpose, and seeks to ensure that the orphans and outcasts in her midst are like a proper family. Elsewhere, however, is a very different group: a rich and privileged dynasty with roots in Europe and the aristocracy. The Van Nesses are led by matriarch Constance Van Ness (played by Anderson), and they find themselves on a collision course with Fiona and the Abandons.
For one thing, Constance and the Van Nesses are keen on acquiring Fiona’s cattle ranch home, despite her bitter opposition. For another, the aristocratic family is looking to expand its already lucrative mining empire and will stop at nothing to do so. But there, it appears more will end up linking the two families than either side could imagine, as the battle over the land starts heating up. “The Abandons is a classic American story — the frontier, two families both at war and in love with each other, and a battle over who owns the land and who makes the rules”, is how producer Christopher Keyser explains it to Netflix’s Tudum.
What else do we know, and is there a release date?
The Abandons will also star, alongside Headey and Anderson, Lucas Till (MacGyver), Aisling Franciosi (Black Narcissus), Lamar Johnson (The Last of Us) and Patton Oswalt (The Sandman). It’s set to debut on Netflix on 4th December.
