Ransom Canyon: Netflix Announces New Drama Series Starring Josh Duhamel, Minka Kelly

Netflix has ordered the new drama Ransom Canyon to series. The series, an adaptation of Jodi Thomas' book series of the same name, has been given a 10-episode first season order by the streamer and is set to star Josh Duhamel and Minka Kelly. The series is described as a romance-fueled family drama and contemporary western saga that will chart the intersecting lives of three ranching families set against the rugged expanse of Texas Hill Country. April Blair is set to write and executive producer the series while Amanda Marsalis (Ozark, Umbrella Academy) is set to direct the first two episodes (via Futon Critic).

In Ransom Canyon, Duhamel will play Staten Kirkland, the "owner and sole occupant of the sprawling Double K Ranch. Steadfast and stoic, Staten leads the charge to resist outside forces threatening his way of life and the land that he loves." Kelly is set to play Quinn who "has found herself in the shadow of others, but after a stint in New York pursuing her career as a concert pianist, she has returned to Ransom Canyon to carve out a new path for herself.:

Ransom Canyon has been in development at Netflix for a bit, with Netflix's Head of Drama, Development, Jinny Howe telling Deadline back in 2022 that the series is akin to "Virgin River meets Yellowstone" and that the streamer was "very excited" about the project and that it felt "very promising."

"It's a contemporary Western romance show, just looking for more in this comfort romance space," Howe said. "We think that it's going to deliver on all the romance and again it will be a really beautiful vista and setting, very escapist."

Netflix Just Scrapped New Movie Starring Robert Pattinson, Robert Downey Jr.

On Monday, it was reported that Adam McKay's highly anticipated next film, Average Height, Average Build, is no longer moving forward at Netflix. The film, which would have seen Pattinson playing a serial killer who enlists a lobbyist (Amy Adams) to change laws that will allow him to get away with murder more easily while Downey would have played a retired cop not giving up on the murders, was first reported to be in the works earlier this year. Per the report, McKay is. moving on to another project, something tied to the issue of climate change, and because of the shift, the streamer is choosing to scrap Average Height, Average Build altogether.

Netflix Recently Renewed a Fan Favorite Series for Season 4

In other Netflix news, the streamer also recently gave a Season 4 renewal to The Upshaws. The series stars Mike Epps as Bennie Upshaw, the head of a Black working class family in Indianapolis, a charming, well-intentioned mechanic and lifelong mess just trying his best to step up and care for his family – wife Regina (Kim Fields), their two young daughters (Khali Spraggins, Journey Christine) and firstborn son (Jermelle Simon), the teenage son (Diamond Lyons) he fathered with another woman (Gabrielle Dennis) -- and tolerate his sardonic sister-in-law (Wanda Sykes), all without a blueprint for success. But the Upshaws are determined to make it work, and make it to the next level, together. In this upcoming part, the Upshaws continue to ride life's ups and downs, including new jobs, bigger dreams, health struggles and some major life surprises but still hanging on with the love that comes with family.

Will you be tuning in for Ransom Canyon? Let us know in the comments.