Brad Pitt And Ryan Reynolds Fightin To Play Marshall Dillon!

[WyldeMan45]

Gunsnoke is I believe the longest running show about cowboys in history. As far as it being the longest running show ever, I think The Simpsons passed it up, but who's counting.

A big screen version of Gunsmoke is coming and it looks like some A-listers are fighting to play the part of Marshall Dillon.

The LA Times has more:

As incarnated first on the mid-century radio serial and later in the CBS prime-time hit, Dillon is the Western hero charged with maintaining law and order in a period Kansas town filled with colorful vagrants, misfits and desperadoes. He carries on in these adventures with the help of town physician Doc Adams and tavern owner Miss Kitty Russell.

The studio is high on Pitt, who with his turn in "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" is one of the few boldface names to star in a Western. Reynolds, who is believed to like the Dillon role, is also on the studio's list. After recent lighter turns, Reynolds has remade himself as an action lead, preparing to shoot the titular role in "The Green Lantern," about the magic-ringed superhero who attempts to keep global peace.

Several other actors are said to be in the mix for the Dillon part, which offers the dual appeal of playing an action hero who also has depth and period cachet. But complicating the situation is the fact that a director has not signed on yet, with CBS Films talking to filmmakers concurrent with its casting discussions. (Typically, a director is attached before an actor comes on board, except for the rare instance in which a star drives a project forward.)

Arness played the role of Dillon for 20 years on the small screen. It's worth noting that he got the role after a bake-off of sorts too, besting William Conrad, who played the character in the radio version and who was said to be disappointed for many years after losing out to Arness on the television part.

Click HERE to read the doggone rest.

Tell you right now, if had a choice between the two I'd pick Pitt anyday over Reynolds. Nothing against the guy, but I think Brad is a better fit. And I wish studios would start making more westerns. I'm sick of seeing one a year if I'm lucky.