Ready to hunt? Jensen Ackles leads Rules of Prey from John Sandford’s first Prey novel

If you thought Jensen Ackles couldn’t squeeze in another genre role, think again: he’s just signed on to headline Rules of Prey, a new MGM+ series based on the bestselling crime novels by John Sandford. Yes, that’s Ackles as detective Lucas Davenport – a character who’s already got a loyal following thanks to three decades of books. Whether you’re here for the source material, the man himself, or just love a good bit of cat-and-mouse, there’s a lot going on with this one.

Rules of Prey is the first Lucas Davenport novel, published all the way back in 1989.

What’s the Setup?

The series is an eight-parter and adapts, as the name suggests, the very first Davenport novel. Production kicks off this month in Toronto, with the finished show set to land on MGM+ across the US, UK, Ireland, Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Chile. Not too shabby for territory coverage.

The plot? Classic serial killer thriller territory with a bit of a psychological twist. Some clever lunatic starts racking up bodies in Minneapolis, and Ackles’ Lucas Davenport – a compulsively brilliant investigator with a reputation for bending the rules – is pulled in to stop him. If you want your detectives to actually follow the law, move along.

Ackles isn’t just starring – he’s also got an executive producer credit, so he’ll have his fingerprints all over the finished product.

Who’s Calling the Shots?

Bruce Terris (of DTF St. Louis and Patriot fame) created the show and is wearing the showrunner and executive producer hats. Daniel Sackheim is directing the first two episodes and executive producing, in case you fancy tracking past directorial DNA. Other producers on the team include Charles Gogolak, Matt Leipzig, Howard Braunstein, Michael Jaffe, John Requa, Glenn Ficarra, and John Weber. Sandford himself is on board as co-producer.

MGM+ are making a lot of noise about combining old-school Hollywood suspense with modern telly tendencies. Here’s how network boss Michael Wright described the Ackles/Terris pairing and the original books:

"Jensen Ackles’ classic leading man charisma, combined with Bruce Terris’ skillful adaptation of John Sandford’s enduringly popular Prey series is an excellent fit for MGM+. The series delves into the psychological depth and suspense that made Sandford’s novels unmissable reading and continues MGM+’s commitment to bringing classic Hollywood storytelling to modern audiences."

The Ackles Effect

Ackles is riding high off some very big TV gigs: still best known for his 15-season marathon as Dean Winchester in Supernatural (2005–2020), he’s also made himself at home in The Boys as Soldier Boy – a role he’ll soon be reprising for Amazon’s spinoff, Vought Rising (scheduled for 2027). On top of all that, he’s popping up as Russell Shaw for Series 4 of CBS hit Tracker, and recently fronted the Prime Video series Countdown. Basically, he’s not hurting for work.

A Quick Lucas Davenport History Lesson

Sandford’s Prey novels have quietly become one of the longest-running American crime series, with 36 books to date, ending (for now) with Revenge Prey in 2026. Sandford, by the way, is Pulitzer-winning journalist John Camp moonlighting in author mode.

This isn’t exactly Davenport’s screen debut. The seventh Davenport book, Mind Prey, was adapted into a 1999 TV film – Eriq La Salle played Lucas that time. Then in 2011, Certain Prey got its own TV movie adaptation, this time with Mark Harmon as our lead cop. Both of those were one-and-done affairs. What’s different here: the MGM+ series is setting out to start at the very beginning, giving viewers the backstory and first case of Davenport from day one.