Fan CastingTHE LAST HOMESTEAD (2028)

The story follows Eli Mercer, a former Union cavalry officer haunted by the horrors of the Civil War and the loss of his family. Having left the battlefield behind, Eli wanders through the Wild West, doing odd jobs to survive, avoiding the growing expansion of the railroads and lawless towns that dot the untamed landscape. Eli’s solitary existence is shattered when he crosses paths with Sarah Freeman, a determined widow and former slave, who has claimed a piece of land for her family under the promise of the Homestead Act. Sarah, along with her son Joshua, is trying to build a new life in the hostile frontier, fending off dangers both natural and manmade. The local land baron, Roderick Kane, a ruthless and corrupt businessman who is rapidly expanding his empire, has his eyes set on the Freeman homestead. Using bribes, threats, and hired guns, Kane will stop at nothing to seize the land, viewing the Freemans as a mere obstacle in his grand plan to control the railroad’s path. Eli, reluctantly drawn into the Freemans’ fight, becomes their protector, though his motivations are complicated. As he forms a bond with Sarah and Joshua, Eli is forced to confront his own guilt and the sins of his past. Haunted by the memories of the war, Eli struggles to regain a sense of purpose and honor while being pursued by Kane’s violent enforcers, led by Sheriff Micah Brooks, a brutal lawman with a personal vendetta against Eli.