First Look: AMC's Post-Civil War Drama Hell on Wheels

AMC has already explored the world of 1960s Madison Avenue, and imagined another overrun by blood-thirsty zombies. Next up? A look at the immediate aftermath of the Civil War, set against the building of the first transcontinental railroad.

AMC revs up Hell on Wheels

Its upcoming drama, Hell on Wheels, focuses on a Confederate soldier whose quest to avenge his wife's death at the hands of Union soldiers takes him west to work on the railroad. The series will explore what immigrants went through, the problems faced by newly emancipated blacks, and the greed and corruption involved with the making of the railroad.

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Anson Mount (Conviction,Crossroads) stars as the Confederate soldier, Cullen Bohannan. The cast includes rapper Common (Date Night), Dominique McElligott (Leap of the Year), Colm Meaney (Star Trek: The Next Generation), Ben Esler (The Pacific), Philip Burke (Law & Order) and Eddie Spears (Into the West). Hell on Wheels, which goes into production on May 16 for a premiere later this year, was created and written by Tony and Joe Gayton, who will also executive-produce.

Check out the trailer for the series below: