Fans of classic Westerns are eagerly anticipating the television series adaptation of The Magnificent Seven, which has received the green light from MGM+. The new show follows two previous film adaptations released in 1960 and 2016, with Matt Dillon taking on the lead role of Chris Adams.
New Cast Members Join the Remake
Joanne Froggatt, known for Downton Abbey, will portray the newly created character Harriet Talbot, a woman marked by profound pain and heartache. Amy Forsyth, from The Gilded Age, has been cast as Katie 'Deadeye' Dalton, a former sharpshooter in a travelling Wild West show. These recent announcements have sparked curiosity about the original 1960 film cast, which remains one of the greatest Westerns ever made.
The Tragic Fates of the Original Magnificent Seven
Yul Brynner as Chris Adams
Yuliy Borisovich Briner, known professionally as Yul Brynner, was a Russian-American actor whose final film role was in Death Rage. He succumbed to lung cancer in 1985 at New York Hospital, aged 65. Shortly before his death, with assistance from the American Cancer Society, Brynner recorded a public service announcement that aired days after he passed. In the chilling message, he urged viewers: "Now that I'm gone, I tell you: Don't smoke. Whatever you do, just don't smoke. If I could take back that smoking, we wouldn't be talking about any cancer. I'm convinced of that."
Steve McQueen as Vin Tanner
Terrence Stephen McQueen, known as Steve McQueen, was famed for his antihero persona. In early 1978, he was diagnosed with cancer linked to asbestos exposure. By February 1980, his condition was deemed terminal. His case drew controversy due to his association with William Donald Kelley, a health fraud promoting dangerous alternative therapies. In October 1980, McQueen travelled to Mexico for surgery to remove a liver tumour, despite US doctors warning it was inoperable and his heart could not withstand the procedure. Two months later, he died of a heart attack at a Juárez hospital at age 50.
Horst Buchholz as Chico
Horst Werner Buchholz, a German actor with over 60 film credits, died unexpectedly at age 69 in March 2003. His death was caused by pneumonia that developed after hip fracture surgery.
Charles Bronson as Bernardo O'Reilly
Charles Bronson, renowned for action films like Machine-Gun Kelly, passed away at 81 in August 2003 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. His cause of death was respiratory failure. In a touching tribute, the ashes of his second wife, Jill Ireland, were placed in a walking cane that was buried with him.
Robert Vaughn as Lee
Robert Vaughn, an American actor and political activist who appeared in numerous Westerns, died in a hospice in Danbury, Connecticut, in November 2016. He had undergone a year of treatment for leukaemia. He was 83 and survived by his wife Linda of over 40 years and their two children, Cassidy and Caitlin.
Brad Dexter as Harry Luck
Brad Dexter, an American actor and producer known for tough-guy Western roles, died in Rancho Mirage, California, from a lung condition in December 2002 at age 85.
James Coburn as Britt
James Coburn, an American actor with more than 70 films, many in the Western genre, died of a heart attack at his Beverly Hills home in November 2002 at age 74. His wife Paula recalled he died in her arms while they listened to music. His manager Hillard Elkins stated: "He died too early, but he died in his wife's arms. It's a pity and a loss for all of us." Tragically, Paula succumbed to cancer less than two years later at age 48.
The Magnificent Seven series will air on MGM+.
