'Walker': Will Chuck Norris who played Texas Ranger Cordell from 1993-2001 appear in The CW reboot?
A reboot of ‘Walker, Texas Ranger’, which starred Chuck Norris and ran from 1993-2001, is coming to The CW. Titled ‘Walker’, the show features ‘Supernatural’ star Jared Padalecki as Cordell Walker, the character that was played by Norris in the iconic Western-Martial Arts genre hybrid. In addition to Padalecki, the series stars Kale Culley, Violet Brinson, Keegan Allen, Molly Hagen, Mitch Pileggi, Coby Bell, and Lindsey Morgan.
The old show, ‘Walker, Texas Ranger’ followed Sergeant Cordell Walker, a Dallas–Fort Worth-based member of the Texas Rangers, a state-level bureau of investigation, who was raised by his paternal uncle, a Native American named Ray Firewalker. Walker, prior to joining the Rangers, served in the Marines' elite recon unit during the Vietnam War. Both he and Uncle Ray shared values characteristic of Wild West sheriffs. The reboot is likely to go in a different direction. More so in terms of the martial arts that Norris employed in the original series, among other elements.
As per the official synopsis of ‘Walker’ Season 1, a Texas Ranger named Cordell Walker (Jared Padalecki), a widower and father of two with his own moral code, returns home to Austin, Texas, after being undercover for two years, only to discover there’s harder work to be done at home. As Walker attempts to reconnect with his creative and thoughtful son August (Kale Culley) and his headstrong, somewhat rebellious teenage daughter Stella (Violet Brinson), he finds that he needs to navigate clashes with his family -- Liam (Keegan Allen), Walker’s ADA brother who stepped in during Walker’s absence, his perceptive mother Abeline (Molly Hagen) and his traditional rancher father Bonham (Mitch Pileggi).
Walker’s former colleague, Larry James (Coby Bell), is now his Ranger Captain. Walker, however, finds unexpected common ground with his new partner Micki Ramirez (Lindsey Morgan), one of the first women in Texas Rangers’ history while growing increasingly suspicious about the circumstances surrounding his wife’s death (guest star Genevieve Padalecki).
So far, there is no indication that Norris will appear on the show. But it would be cool to see him back in the show, not as Walker, of course, but as a guest star, just as a nod to the classic TV show. This is a phenomenon not unknown to entertainment. Franco Nero, who played the titular role in the 1966 Italian Spaghetti Western film ‘Django’, returned in a cameo in Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Django Unchained’.
But the chances of that are slim. For starters, the martial arts expert and ‘80s action hero no longer acts. In 2012, Norris made his last Hollywood film -- ‘Expendables 2’ -- before announcing his retirement from acting. As of yet, there is no indication of any sort that Norris will change his plans and step out of retirement. And even if he does, will ‘Walker’ be the right fit? The actor has many idiosyncratic demands from productions, including one that requires his films to be squeaky clean family content. While ‘Walker’ has yet to make its premiere, one can hardly imagine a modern law enforcement drama being family-friendly content, much less one that stars a renegade cowboy in a lawless land.
‘Walker’ will premiere on January 21, 2021. Every episode of ‘Walker’ will be available to stream on The CW App and CWTV.com the day after broadcast for free and without a subscription.
