Red Bill and Arthur McCoy’s paths collide in That Dirty Black Bag, brought to us by RLJE Films, a unit of AMC Networks. Red Bill is a bounty hunter known for decapitating his victims and stuffing their heads in the titular dirty black bag, and McCoy is an incorruptible sheriff with a chip on his shoulder and a will to serve justice. Anything can happen in the wild west.

Season 1 of That Dirty Black Bag stars Douglas Booth (The Dirt, Mr. Bingly) as Red Bill, Dominic Cooper (Captain America, Need for Speed) as McCoy, Niv Sultan, Guido Caprino, Christian Cooke, Rose Williams, Paterson Joseph, Zoe Boyle, and more. The series premiered on AMC+ on March 10, 2022, and on July 26, 2022, it will become available on DVD and Blu-ray.

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In celebration, Booth joined MovieWeb to chat about the making of the series and updated us on everything to know so far about season 2.

Westerns, Working with Dominic Cooper, and Playing Red Bill

“I’ve always liked westerns. I’ve always wanted to be in one, and I used to ride as a kid when I was five years old…. I got sent the scripts and really enjoyed them. I thought it was a bunch of really interesting, twisted characters, and I couldn’t tell who was good or bad… I found it very intriguing, and it pulled me in,” explained Booth. He also mentioned that Cooper being attached helped elevate his interest, as the two have been good friends for a long time. “We had a lot of fun… I’ve known him for a while… it was just fun from start to finish. Although challenging at times, when we’re working for six months, non-stop six days a week. That’s testing for any relationship (laughs). But he can make me laugh all day, every day, so that helps to get through those long, very hot days.”

Westerns remain popular among many, whether it be the nostalgia as Booth commented, how accessible the stories are, or for simply the spectacle. “They’re accessible stories… and just look like fun… it’s just the idea of getting lost in these sort of backwater wastelands, and with all these dodgy characters, and having a horse (laughs).”

Booth continued, shifting to discussing his connection to the character, “Red Bill is obviously a very traumatized character. He lost his mom when he was very young. So, for me, I’m very close to my mother, and when I was a kid, I used to have these recurring nightmares about losing her,” he explained, “which was very traumatic. I think that was a kind of starting place for me… he is someone dealing with grief and not dealing with it very well, you know, times before everyone had a therapist. It’s really him trying to deal with that… That was a place that I started my connection with him, to sort of merge our two personalities together.”

That Dirty Black Bag Season 2 Updates

     AMC

AMC has yet to greenlight the second season of That Dirty Black Bag, however, Booth has confirmed that it is in the writing stage and that he’s contracted to do it.

“I’m contracted to do it, so I would love to do it,” stated Booth, “I’d love to see the series through. I know they’re writing it right now. AMC needs to give it the greenlight, which we’re waiting for. But I know that the people who have seen it have absolutely loved it… and I’d love to see that character through. I think Red Bill can do some very interesting and dangerous things in season two… Yes, that is in the cards, but not yet fully confirmed at AMC.”

When asked if he knew the direction the writers are taking the script, Booth replied, “I have a slight understanding of where it’s going,” but added that he has not read it. “But I’m excited to see if Red Bill can find some peace. Obviously, there is some unresolved business between him and Bronson. I would love to see that clash, would love to see it escalated, and would love to see if he could save that young girl… there’s definitely a twisted group of people and a very powerful organization, and I would love to see him bring all his skills to dismantling it.”

Up next for Booth is a movie titled Promise Land by Michael Winterbottom. “He works in a very interesting way, so I’m excited to go on that journey with him and explore.” Promise Land also stars Harry Melling (The Queen’s Gambit, Harry Potter) and Irina Starshenbaum (Attraction, Leto).

That Dirty Black Bag is a production of BRON Studios and Palomar.