Even Aquaman can't keep Jason Momoa from The Red Road.
In the Sundance TV drama, which launches season two Thursday, Momoa reprises his role as Kopus, a menacing member of the Native American Lanape Tribe living in the mountains of New Jersey. The season one finale ended with Kopus and his bitter enemy Officer Harold Jenson (Martin Henderson) saving each others' lives during a shootout. Kopuss was in custody, and it was unclear if Harold would let him go out of gratitude. Season two picks up with viewers learning Kopus did end up going to prison.
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Momoa is set to play Aquaman as a member of Warner Bros.' Justice League. Though the multi-film commitment comes with a schedule that can make outside projects difficult, Momoa answers with an immediate "hell yeah" when asked if he'll have time for a third season of Red Road, should one be ordered.
"I've never been on a roller coaster quite like I was this year," Momoa tells The Hollywood Reporter of season two. "There are a lot of deaths."
Playing Kopus on Red Road has been a departure for Momoa. He is best known for playing Khal Drogo in season one of HBO's Game of Thrones, and he joked ahead of the season one premiere that Red Road was a rare role for him, because he kept his shirt on.
He isn't sure if the more complex character from Red Road would bleed into his work as Aquaman, whom he will play in 2017's Justice League Part One before getting a solo outing in 2018.
"Justice League is quite a ways off. We don't have scripts and stuff like that," Momoa said. "I'll bring my professionalism there. I'll bring my sense of humor. Hopefully people will like that. If they don't I'll modify it."
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Justice League director Zack Snyder unexpectedly dropped the first look at Momoa as Aquaman in February, sending the Internet into a frenzy. The actor is used to inhabiting larger-than-life characters (he also toplined 2011's Conan The Barbarian), and says he just shows up and lets the costume designers work their magic.
"Michael [Wilkinson], the head costume designer, he created all of that," says Momoa. "I basically just showed up and he made it happen. And It's all Zack, through his genius mind."
He calls balancing smaller projects with potential blockbusters "a dream job."
"I have a TV show that I love," Momoa says. "I'm going to be in one of the biggest movies in history in a minute, playing a superhero. And I have kids so that's cool. My kids can finally see something that I'm in."
The Red Road airs at 10 p.m. Thursdays on Sundance TV.Email: Aaron.Couch@THR.com
Twitter: @AaronCouch
