Taylor Sheridan Meets 'Ex Machina' in New Trailer for Netflix's Sci-Fi Western

1 week ago 19

Published Oct 14, 2026, 4:32 PM EDT

Ryan O'Rourke is a Senior News Writer at Collider with a specific interest in all things adult animation, video game adaptations, and the work of Mike Flanagan. He is also an experienced baseball writer with over six years of articles between multiple outlets, most notably FanSided's CubbiesCrib. Whether it's taking in a baseball game, a new season of Futurama or Castlevania: Nocturne, or playing the latest From Software title, he is always finding ways to show his fandom. When it comes to gaming and anything that takes inspiration from it, he is deeply opinionated on what's going on. Outside of entertainment, he's a graduate of Eureka College with a Bachelor's in Communication where he honed his craft as a writer. Between The IV Leader at Illinois Valley Community College and The Pegasus at Eureka, he spent the majority of his college career publishing articles on everything from politics to campus happenings and, of course, entertainment for the student body. Those principles he learned covering the 2020 election, Palestine, and so much more are brought here to Collider, where he has gleefully written on everything from the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes to Nathan Lane baby-birding sewer boys.

Taylor Sheridan has been reigning as the king of television westerns for some time now. Ever since Yellowstone debuted in 2018, he's constructed an empire of shows that explore the genre with or without the Dutton clan, from the oil business-based Landman to the origin story 1923. However, one of the best-reviewed series he's been a part of, the Chad Feehan-created Lawmen: Bass Reeves, cracked open the history books to tell the tale of the titular deputy U.S. Marshal who became one of the first Black men to earn the title west of the Mississippi. It recounted his rise as a legendary law enforcer whose arrests would total in the thousands by the time his career was done.

Starring David Oyelowo, who earned high praise for his turn as Reeves, Lawmen didn't just focus on its lead's line of work, but grappled with the moral weight of wearing the badge and the cost of his line of work to his family. It was also meant to be the start of an anthology, where each season would explore another iconic lawman in a similar way. So far, though, there's been no movement towards a Season 2 at Paramount+ despite it holding a Certified Fresh 79% from critics and interest from both Feehan and Oyelowo in backing the next chapter. In the meantime, Netflix is now taking the historical hero Reeves and giving him a sci-fi makeover while still maintaining his gun-slinging ways.

The streamer has released the official trailer for its upcoming steampunk animated action series Bass X Machina, teasing a reignition of the Civil War in an even more lawless Old West. Outlaws, mechanical menaces, and even the supernatural roam the land as Bass, voiced by Oscar nominee Brian Tyree Henry, tries to protect his family while administering justice one bullet at a time. His horrifying time in the war has forged him into a loner who loves those closest to him, but prefers to work solo as a bounty hunter. That's when the government comes calling to request his skills in stopping a Confederate scientist with the technological might to defeat the Union. With powerful mechs, steam-powered minotaurs, and more in his way, he'll need some help in navigating this dangerous world, yet he'll soon find other forces at play with electrifying powers of their own, fighting a different, more complicated battle between the two sides.

Who Is Behind 'Bass X Machina'?

Though Henry earned his lone Academy Award nod for Causeway, he's also been well-recognized for his voice work, playing Miles Morales' father, Jefferson Davis, in the Spider-Verse movies, as well as a young Megatron in Transformers One. He's joined by a stacked supporting cast, including Janelle Monáe, Tati Gabrielle, Cree Summer, Chaske Spencer, Currie Graham, and Starletta DuPois. Bass X Machina was created by LeSean Thomas, who previously tackled another historical figure with his anime Yasuke about the legendary African samurai. The prolific Studio Mir handled the action-packed animation after having previously worked on other Netflix animated series like Devil May Cry and Skull Island.