Kevin Bacon is back on the small screen, and this time, he’s cutting footloose as… wait for it… an undead bounty hunter with a thirst for redemption. I don’t know about you, but this is one supernatural thriller I can’t wait to see. Prime Video recently announced that the eight-episode Blumhouse Television-produced series The Bondsman will premiere in April.
In the series, Bacon plays a bounty hunter named Hub Halloran. He lives on a farm with his mother Kitty (Beth Grant) after having separated from his wife (and musician) Maryanne (Jennifer Nettles). When he’s brutally killed, Hub’s shady past places him right in the sights of hell’s management team, who recruit him for sinister purposes. See, whereas the job of most bounty hunters is to chase criminals who are alive, Halloran’s job will be to hunt down the demons who’ve escaped and return them to their fiery prison. In exchange, he’s offered the opportunity to save his own soul.
Hub agrees and notices that after the devil resurrects him, he’s filled with regrets about his marriage to Maryanne and he’s lost all his musical dreams. Fueled by redemption, Hub starts chasing down said demons with the help (and hindrance) of his estranged family. Per the official logline, this pushes him to seek a second chance at life, love, and country music.
Series writer Erik Oleson (Daredevil, Carnival Row) explained how this mess will differ from the devil that moviegoers usually know:
“We’ve all seen countless demons in various forms of one or another. I had never seen a show where the devil was treated like he was a warden of a prison, and that escaped prisoners would have to be caught and brought back to prison. Normally, you think, ‘Oh, the devil sends demons to earth to wreak havoc and cause trouble.’ This was the flip of it.”
Bacon is no stranger to horror, having starred in the original Friday the 13th, Hollow Man, Stir of Echoes, and Maxxxine, but this role is different, according to Bacon, as it weaves bits of levity throughout its excessive gore:
“It is very violent and has a lot of blood and scares, but it also has some tongue-in-cheek aspects. It’s oftentimes funny, and it also has a lot of heart.”
In addition to Bacon, Nettles, and Grant, The Bondsman also stars Damon Herriman (Justified), Maxwell Jenkins (Reacher), and Jolene Purdy (The White Lotus). Herriman will appear as Lucky, the owner of a successful country music club who also happens to be in a relationship with Maryanne, Jenkins will play Cade, Hub and Maryanne’s son, and Purdy will portray Midge, who is said to be “weary with the understated gravitas of someone who’s learned the hard way how to hold her ground in a male-dominated world. Midge may look unassuming but she’s actually a secret emissary.”
And, given that both Bacon and Nettles are accomplished musicians in addition to actors, expect to hear several of their tunes throughout the series.
As one of Hollywood’s most beloved actors, there’s no question whether Bacon will be a huge draw to the series, but that’s not the only reason The Bondsman is likely to be successful. While the entire world has patiently sat on our hands awaiting return of Keanu Reeves as DC’s most popular demonologist John Constantine, we can finally relax a little knowing The Bondsman will likely be full of similarities, proving itself to be a worthy stop gap for those of us seeking some compensatory demon hunting.
The Bondsman will premiere April 3, 2025, exclusively on Prime Video.