The news officially broke about Jensen Ackles’ newest role a day after fans were surprised to see him filming in Toronto, unleashing an internet flurry to figure out WHAT he was filming in Toronto. True to fandom’s impressive sleuthing skills, they did just that.
Ackles is playing Lucas Davenport, the unconventional protagonist of John Sandford’s ‘Prey’ novels, of which there are many. The internet then turned its attention to either a) being very very excited and anticipating a new Ackles character or b) lamenting that said character was not what they were hoping for. It’s true that ‘Rules of Prey’ is a cop show broadly defined, and Ackles has portrayed cop or cop-adjacent characters before – he enjoys the action hero characters who are fighting for justice in some way, shape or form, and he’s brought quite a few to life memorably, most recently in ‘Countdown’ and ‘Blue Sky’. (He has also played some strikingly different characters, from Dean Winchester who more often than not tangled with the cops to Soldier Boy who is a cop’s worst nightmare to Russell Shaw who may, along with his brother, team up with law enforcement from time to time but definitely grew up outside the law and doing his own thing.)
For me, the more complex the character, the more I’m likely to fall for them and thoroughly enjoy dissecting them in reviews, no matter what their profession. Ackles is one of those actors who can show you the complexity under the surface even in characters who initially don’t seem that complicated – give him a character who is full of shades of gray and he can have a field day. And so can I!
I have not read any of the novels, but so far what I’ve heard about Lucas Davenport suggests that this is a character that Ackles can really sink his teeth into. Amazon MGM describes him as “a righteous avenging angel with a sharp mind and an unconventional approach who doesn’t always let the law get in the way of justice.” Davenport started as a detective in the Minneapolis PD, was forced out because of that unconventionality, and then returns to try to solve an intriguing serial killer mystery. Lucas is willing to not play by the rules to get the job done and doesn’t shy away from violence or unconventional tactics, which suggests we’re going to be treated to a good dose of moral complexity. That’s something we know Jensen can do, since the Winchesters struggled with those shades of gray the entire fifteen season run – and of course there’s Soldier Boy, whose moral complexity leans to the darker shades – and yet Ackles was able to bring some ambiguity to that portrayal too.
The series is described as a “gritty crime series”, so it won’t shy away from the darkness either. To me, that makes it a lot more interesting.
Lucas is written to be charismatic and attractive. He’s wealthy, sophisticated, a sharp dresser who drives a Porsche – I can see Ackles enjoying every bit of that! In the early books, he has multiple romantic relationships (though in later books he becomes a father and marries). He’s also competitive, just like the serial killer he matches wits with, which I think Ackles will also enjoy. All that suggests that Lucas Davenport is going to be a lot of fun to watch.
But what really intrigues me about the character is that what’s emphasized most about him is his mind. He’s a brilliant polymath, proficient in multiple fields. He’s not interested in solving your everyday murder, which he finds boring. Instead he wants a puzzle, he wants a challenge, he wants a worthy adversary – and apparently he finds it in the twisted serial killer who goes by “Maddog”. Maddog, a lawyer when he’s not killing people, is equally brilliant, so their battle of wits is likely to be a whole hell of a lot of fun to watch. The two have what is described as an “intense psychological duel” – that is catnip to a psychologist, so I am very much on board!
(Also, Ackles may have told me that I’m going to have my work cut out for me digging into this character and trying to figure out what makes him tick, as he knows I’m fond of doing. My last book was a deep dive into the complexity of the characters of ‘The Boys’, including Soldier Boy, so he knows I am READY for the challenge!)
I was already excited from that comment and what I’ve read. Last night the online account for author John Sandford (real name John Roswell Camp apparently) was kind enough to reply to some questions, and everything he said just upped my anticipation! (The account has very transparently been run by his son for decades). Some of the interesting tidbits from that online conversation – I asked if Sandford was familiar with Dean Winchester and Supernatural. Answer: fairly sure he has not seen Supernatural but may have seen The Boys. Also no, he didn’t have input into casting. Bonus points for his son making a SuperWhoLock calendar as a gift for his wife though!
A few more bits of information about the character of Lucas whet my appetite even more. He’s smart, a bit violence-prone, and has control issues (he hates flying because of the lack of control, so he and Dean Winchester could relate), and major depression. Hmmmm. He’s also a devotee of wargaming and a game designer (not video games, but tabletop roleplaying games) and is in a historical wargaming group because he’s fascinated by history and the mechanics of the games themselves – he likes logical systems that he can unravel. Okay, now I am totally intrigued. The “unconventional” is taking a slightly different shape than I expected, and I am here for it. A handsome, rich, well dressed, Porsche-driving, brilliant tabletop roleplaying game enthusiast who likes to be intellectually challenged? Yes please!
Lucas, the author’s son said, doesn’t typically do murder investigations because 90% of them are, in his mind, boring. Mundane. Nothing to solve. Not intellectually challenging. Until Maddog comes along.
The novel was written in 1989, but apparently this series is set in the present, so there will have to be some changes – but I’m honestly hoping not too many! ‘Rules of Prey’ will be an eight episode streaming series on MGM+, with filming running through December 16 in Toronto.
We will likely hear more about Lucas and how Jensen is enjoying playing him this weekend in Charlotte, at the Supernatural convention. I’ll be there and will bring you whatever is shared onstage in some live tweets if the internet (and X) cooperate.
No word on when the series will air but that’s okay – anticipation is so much fun!
–Lynn
You can read Jensen Ackles’ insights into
acting, fandom and playing Dean Winchester
and Soldier Boy in the books linked on the
home page here – more info at:
