'Little House on the Prairie' reboot adds Jocko Sims as the Ingalls' real-life doctor
The cast of Netflix's Little House on the Prairie reboot continues to grow, and Jocko Sims just joined as a character whom fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder's book series will remember.
The New Amsterdam star will play Dr. George Tann, described by Netflix as "a generous and kind-hearted man with a charming bedside manner that makes him a connector within the community." Sims' character is based on the real-life Dr. Tann, who Wilder wrote about in her 1935 autobiographical novel Little House on the Prairie. According to the official LHOP website, Dr. Tann treated the Ingalls family when they all were stricken with malaria in Kansas.
In addition to Sims, Netflix announced five more cast members: Warren Christie as John Edwards, a Civil War veteran from Tennessee; Meegwun Fairbrother as Mitchell, a farmer with "the most impressive homestead in the county"; Alyssa Wapanatǎhk as White Sun, Mitchell's wife; Wren Zhawenim Gotts as Good Eagle, daughter of Mitchell and White Sun; and Xander Cole as Little Puma, White Sun's younger brother, who "loves his big sister but also loves getting under her skin."
Described by the streamer as "part hopeful family drama, part epic survival tale, and part origin story of the American West," Little House on the Prairie will follow the Ingalls family and the Osage tribe members they encounter while living in Kansas. Earlier this month, Netflix revealed that Alice Halsey (Lessons in Chemistry) will play Laura Ingalls in the reboot, alongside Luke Bracey (Little Fires Everywhere) as Charles, Crosby Fitzgerald (Palm Royale) as Caroline, and Skywalker Hughes (I, Object) as Mary.
While former Fox News host Megyn Kelly — who vowed to "destroy" the reboot if it was too "woke" — may not be pleased by the diverse cast, TV's original Half-Pint, Melissa Gilbert, is all for the new interpretation of Wilders' work. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly in February about Netflix's reboot, Gilbert suggested that the series would be able "to do things that we didn't get to do necessarily so easily in the '70s," especially when it comes to casting.
"They can make an actual point of hiring Native American actors to play the Native Americans, which we didn't do. We were certainly inclusive and open to it, but it wasn't a prerequisite," Gilbert said. "And now they can look at it with a new lens and say, 'This part should be played by Native American actors.' Bring in Dr. Tann, the actual Black doctor who treated the Ingalls family. Bring all of these people in and tell the story."
Rebecca Sonnenshine (The Boys, Vampire Diaries) will serve as showrunner for Little House on the Prairie, which does not yet have a release date.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
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