Erin Kellyman and Tim McGraw are set to star in the Southern Bastards pilot currently in production at Hulu.
Kerryman and McGraw join previously announced star Kevin Bacon in the pilot, which is based on the graphic novel of the same name. It was picked up as a pilot on Hulu in October 2025.
The official logline says the show “follows a tenacious military veteran (Kellyman) into Crow County, Alabama, in search of her estranged father (Bacon). What she discovers is a vicious hornet’s nest of organized crime run by the South’s winningest high school football coach (McGraw).”
Roberta, played by Kellyman, is described as “an ex-Marine facing military charges after an incident in Afghanistan. She is intelligent and psychologically complex, constantly trying to understand and overcome generational trauma and inherited violence. When she comes to Crow County, she comes solely for revenge, but if she is to change the county for the better and tear down everything her boss has built, she must put down roots and find a home in town.”
The Kelly man was named one of Variety magazine’s 10 British People to Watch in 2025. She most recently played the role of Jimmy Ink in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, although he originally appeared as a character at the end of 28 Years Later. She has appeared in films such as “The Green Knight” and “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” as well as TV shows such as “Top Boy,” “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” and the 2018 TV version of “Les Misérables.”
She is repped by CAA, Curtis Brown Group, and Goodman of Genow.
Coach Boss, played by McGraw, is said to be “a legendary head football coach at Crow County High School, a community leader, and a complex figure who embodies the darker side of Southern football culture. He is the head of an organized crime syndicate that extends beyond his small town in Alabama, and is unafraid to protect his empire by any means necessary.”
McGraw is best known for his superstar music career, which sold more than 106 million records worldwide, 49 number one singles and 19 number one albums. He will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2026. McGraw is also an accomplished actor. He starred in the “Yellowstone” prequel “1883” on Paramount+ and played a former high school football star in the 2004 hit film “Friday Night Lights.” Similarly, in 2009, he appeared opposite Sandra Bullock in the Oscar-winning high school football film The Blind Side.
He is repped by Austin Tyerman of CAA and Jackoway.
Bill Dubuque and Nia DaCosta are credited with a joint story on Southern Bastards, with Dubuque writing and executive producing the television drama. Matt Olmsted will serve as showrunner and executive producer. Reynaldo Marcus Green will direct and executive produce the pilot. Based on the graphic novel, Jason Aaron and Jason Latour will serve as executive producers. POV Entertainment’s Layne Eskridge also serves as executive producer along with Proximity Media and Green’s Ryan Coogler, Sev Ohanian and Zinzi Coogler. Proximity’s Simone Harris and POV’s Kate Berry will serve as co-executive producers. Proximity Media creative executives Hannah Baker and D’Angelo Louis will also oversee the project. This series is produced in conjunction with The Fifth Season.
