Matt Dillon to Lead "The Magnificent Seven" Series Remake

Matt Dillon is set to lead the upcoming “Magnificent Seven” series adaptation at MGM+.

The show was formally picked up at MGM+ back in December. Dillon will play Chris Adams, the role originated by Yul Brynner in the original 1960 film. 

The description of the character states, “Stoic, steady under pressure, and with an unflinching gaze that does most of the talking for him, Chris has no patience for hypocrisy or cruelty and holds fast to a quiet moral code rooted in fairness and restraint.”

This will be one of the few TV roles of Dillon’s career. Previously, he appeared in the Apple TV series “High Desert,” and the Fox supernatural drama “Wayward Pines.” 

He is primarily known for his film roles, including his Oscar-nominated turn in the hit 2006 film “Crash.” He has also starred in features like “The House That Jack Built,” “Wild Things,” “There’s Something About Mary,” “The Outsiders,” and “Asteroid City.”

Dillon is the latest actor to take up the mantle of the leader of the Seven. 

Brynner once again played the character in the 1966 sequel “Return of the Seven,” while George Kennedy took over the part in 1969’s “Guns of the Magnificent Seven.” 

Lee Van Cleef then played Adams in “The Magnificent Seven Ride!” Michael Biehn played Chris Larabee in the CBS series “The Magnificent Seven,” which was largely based on the Chris Adams character from the films. 

Most recently, Denzel Washington played Sam Chisholm in Antoine Fuqua’s 2016 film remake, with Chisholm being the leader of the Seven with similar traits to Adams.

The official logline for the show states: “Set in the 1880s American frontier, ‘The Magnificent Seven’ follows a group of mercenaries who are hired to protect a peaceful Quaker village after it is massacred by a land baron’s hired guns. As the flawed but gifted mercenaries embed with the Quakers, they must grapple with the question of whether it is acceptable to use violence to defend a people whose faith is based on nonviolence. The series will explore each member of the Seven, exploring what’s at stake and why they chose to take on this mission.”

The series hails from writer Tim Kring, who will executive produce alongside Donald De Line, Lawrence Mirisch and Bruce Kaufman. Dillon will executive produce in addition to starring. 

It is produced by MGM+ Studios and MGM Television Studios. Casting is by Seth Yanklewitz. Principal photography is set to begin in June 2026.