Posted in: Exclusive, Interview, Lionsgate, Movies | Tagged: Dean Jagger, Dominque Tipper, exclusive, interview, Jesse V Johnson, john malkovich, lionsgate, thomas jane

One Ranger Star Thomas Jane on 'The Expanse' Reunion & Westerns

Thomas Jane (The Punisher) talks to Bleeding Cool about his Lionsgate Western One Ranger, The Expanse reunion with Dominque Tipper & more.

Thomas Jane is known for playing grounded and grizzled characters with clear morals. Some of his most memorable roles include Boogie Nights (1997), Deep Blue Sea (1999), The Punisher (2004), The Thin Red Line (1998), and The Mist (2007). Jane spoke to Bleeding Cool about his latest Lionsgate Western One Ranger, reuniting with his The Expanse costar Dominique Tipper, and how the modern Western is currently thriving. The film follows a gunslinging Texas ranger (Jane) who tracks a bank robber (Dean Jagger) across the desert — only to discover he's an international terrorist set on detonating a bomb in the heart of London. When the lawman's partner is killed, he is drawn into partnership with a British intelligence agent (Tipper) and her boss (John Malkovich) to bring the outlaw to justice — dead or alive.

One Ranger Star Thomas Jane on 'The Expanse' Reunion & Thriving in Westerns

Bleeding Cool: What intrigued you about the film, and how did it feel to reunite with your 'The Expanse' costar Dominique Tipper?
Jane: Dom was the obvious choice for this part because I'd worked with her for five years on 'The Expanse.' I knew we had a solid working relationship, and shit, we were going to be in England anyway, and that's her hometown. She was perfect, and that was a no-brainer. We're happy she said yes and came with us for a while.
As far as [One Ranger] goes, I was a big fan of Walter Hill's 'Extreme Prejudice' (1987). Nick Nolte plays a Ranger, and look, these guys…these are the real [deal]. I love the responsibility of having to shoulder the burden of representing a real Texas Ranger. These are real people. They get up in the morning and are out there right now. We're at the Dallas Film Festival, and 'One Ranger' is the opening night film. Shit, Man! I'm in the town where a bunch of dudes woke up this morning and put on their jeans and their Stetson hat, and they're out there right now doing their job. That was exciting; it was a fun story.

The Western genre seemed to have breathed new life into the streaming era. Can you speak of the experience of how we're getting that buzz back and even in a modern setting?
[Westerns] are uniquely American. There's jazz, which is a uniquely American art form, as are the Western and comic books. Those are kind of the three contributions to the art that America has made that are unique. Many kids today haven't experienced the quintessential Western the way we did. The way I did in the 70s and 80s and the way people were before me. My dad did with John Ford, Howard Hawks, and Budd Boetticher, those guys. I would love there to be a revival. Right now, Taylor Sheridan is doing the best work in the field and almost single-handedly revived the Western with 'Yellowstone' but then '1883' is also great. His best work is '1923,' which, if anyone out there is a fan of the genre and hasn't seen it, needs to go and watch. '1923' is a blast, and the writing is spectacular. I'm hoping movies like 'One Ranger' we can do more of this. I was lucky enough to do a couple of Westerns during the pandemic, which was fun. I realized I'm good at that. So I'm on the hunt for more.

Written and directed by Jesse V Johnson, One Ranger, is available in theaters, digital, and on-demand.

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