Before Pedro Pascal became one of television’s most recognizable stars, he almost starred in a Western series that blended frontier shootouts with supernatural horror. The project never made it beyond a pilot episode, but it could have introduced audiences to a completely different side of the actor years before major projects such as ‘The Mandalorian‘ and ‘The Last of Us.’
That series in question is ‘The Sixth Gun,’ the 2013 adaptation of Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt’s acclaimed comic book of the same name. While NBC produced a pilot with Pascal in a key role, the network ultimately decided not to move forward. The unfortunate aftermath left the ambitious Western buried before most viewers even knew it existed.
The Comic That Caught Hollywood’s Attention
Published by Oni Press in 2010, ‘The Sixth Gun’ comic series quickly earned praise for its unusual mix of Western adventure and dark fantasy. Set during the 1880s, the story follows a dangerous hunt for six mystical revolvers, each carrying its own supernatural power.
Related: Pedro Pascal Shares Heartwarming Update On His Bond With Grogu On ‘Star Wars’ Set
At the center of the story are Becky Montcrief and Drake Sinclair, who race to keep the guns, which can reshape the world, out of the hands of ruthless enemies determined to claim them. The comic stood out because it refused to play by traditional Western rules.
Gunfights shared space with curses, dark magic, and supernatural forces lurking across the American frontier. That combination helped the series develop a dedicated following and attracted interest from television executives looking for the next big genre adaptation.
How ‘The Walking Dead’ Changed Everything For Adaptations
Hollywood’s appetite for comic-book adaptations exploded after the success of AMC’s ‘The Walking Dead.’ Networks suddenly began searching for darker, more mature source material that could attract the same audience.
In Case You Missed It: “I Got Jealous”: Pedro Pascal Kisses Stephen Colbert On ‘The Late Show’ Before Tequila Sends The Interview Completely Off Script
‘The Sixth Gun’ looked like a natural option, and its adaptation first landed at Syfy after Oni Press announced the project at Comic-Con in 2011. The company wanted to create a miniseries from it before development stalled. Despite the disappointing turn of events, the idea refused to disappear.
Later, Syfy’s parent company, NBCUniversal, acquired the rights and released a pilot episode in hopes of turning it into a full-length series. The network assembled a cast and moved the project into production. It briefly appeared that the show had a genuine chance of reaching television screens.
Pedro Pascal’s Gunslinger Gig That Never Aired
One of the pilot’s most intriguing details was its casting. Years before audiences knew him as Din Djarin or Joel Miller, Pascal signed on to play a crooked detective, Ortega, operating within the show’s supernatural world.
This role was poles apart from the honorable protectors and reluctant father figures that would later define much of the actor’s career. NBC produced the 42-minute pilot but chose not to release it officially for broadcast. The show never made it to air, killing any chance of a full series run.
For years, the episode remained buried, turning the show into one of television’s more intriguing what-ifs. While it is hard to gauge the show’s potential, the fact that it came long before the current Western boom and Pascal’s stardom leaves room for multiple possibilities.
Meanwhile, the cancellation did not slow Pascal’s rise for long, as he broke through with ‘Game of Thrones‘ within a few years. He even went on to secure greater success with shows such as ‘Narcos,’ ‘The Mandalorian,’ and ‘The Last of Us.’
Still, ‘The Sixth Gun’ remains a fascinating footnote in Pedro Pascal’s career. Had NBC made a different decision, audiences might have met the actor’s gunslinger years before they met his bounty hunter.
You Might Also Like To Read: The ‘Terminator 2’ Scene That Makes James Cameron’s AI Pivot More Complicated
