Jensen Ackles has landed another major television role, this time stepping into the world of crime drama.
The Supernatural star will lead and executive produce Rules of Prey, a new crime series ordered by MGM+. The show is based on Rules of Prey, the first novel in John Sandford’s long-running Prey book series.
Ackles will play Lucas Davenport, a former Minneapolis detective whose unconventional approach and disregard for department rules ultimately cost him his position on the force.
However, Lucas is pulled back into law enforcement when a serial killer begins targeting people in Minneapolis. The murders appear to contain a message specifically intended for Davenport, forcing him to take on a case that quickly becomes personal.
As Davenport investigates, he must uncover the killer’s motives while facing an adversary who appears to be as intelligent and unconventional as he is.
The official description reads:
Rules of Prey follows Lucas Davenport, formerly a detective in the Minneapolis Police Department, drawn out of seclusion back into law enforcement to investigate a series of confounding murders designed to send a message specifically to him. When an ingenious serial killer begins murdering Minneapolis citizens, Davenport, a brilliant polymath and unconventional investigator, takes the case, sparking an intense psychological duel with an equally intelligent adversary. As Davenport deciphers the killer’s twisted moral code and personal vendetta, he must match wits with a predator operating by his own rules of justice, risking everything to stop a killer who sees their conflict as the ultimate game.
MGM+ has ordered eight episodes of the series, with production scheduled to begin in Toronto this month.
Bruce Terris created the television adaptation and will serve as showrunner and executive producer. Daniel Sackheim is set to direct the first two episodes.
The new series adds another major project to Ackles’ increasingly busy television schedule. The actor is also returning as Soldier Boy in Vought Rising, the The Boys prequel series coming to Prime Video in 2027.
For Ackles, Rules of Prey marks another departure from the role that made him a television star. After spending 15 seasons playing Dean Winchester on Supernatural, he has taken on increasingly different characters, including Soldier Boy in The Boys and Russell Shaw in CBS’ Tracker.
