This week, MGM+ has announced the greenlight of the original drama series Rules of Prey, an adaptation of Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalist John Sandford’s acclaimed book series Prey, based on the first book in a collection of thirty-five NYT-bestsellers. Created by Bruce Terris, who also serves as showrunner and executive producer, and produced by MGM Television and Take 5 Productions, Jensen Ackles will star and executive produce the eight-episode season, with production beginning this month in Toronto. The series will premiere on MGM+ in the U.S., United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Chile.
Rules of Prey follows Lucas Davenport, formerly a detective in the Minneapolis Police Department, drawn out of seclusion back into law enforcement to investigate a series of confounding murders designed to send a message specifically to him. When an ingenious serial killer begins murdering Minneapolis citizens, Davenport, a brilliant polymath and unconventional investigator, takes the case, sparking an intense psychological duel with an equally intelligent adversary. As Davenport deciphers the killer’s twisted moral code and personal vendetta, he must match wits with a predator operating by his own rules of justice, risking everything to stop a killer who sees their conflict as the ultimate game.
Jensen Ackles stars as Lucas Davenport, a righteous avenging angel whose sharp mind, unconventional approach, and unwillingness to let the law get in the way of justice forced him out of the Minneapolis Police Department.
“Jensen Ackles’ classic leading man charisma, combined with Bruce Terris’ skilful adaptation of John Sandford’s enduringly popular Prey series is an excellent fit for MGM+,” said Michael Wright, global head of 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.”
Rules of Prey further expands Ackles’ relationship with MGM Television. He will next star in and produce the upcoming Prime Video series Vought Rising, reprising his fan-favourite role as Soldier Boy from the multi-Emmy Award-winning series The Boys. The series will premiere in 2027.
The series is created by Emmy award-winning writer-producer Bruce Terris (DTF St. Louis), who serves as creator, showrunner and executive producer, alongside executive producer Charles Gogolak and Matt Leipzig (Modern Literary Arts). Howard Braunstein, Michael Jaffe, John Requa, Glenn Ficarra and John Weber serve as executive producers. John Sandford serves as co-producer. Daniel Sackheim directs the pilot and episode two and serves as executive producer.
Bruce Terris is an Emmy Award-nominated writer and producer, who is currently under an overall deal at MGM. Most recently, he served as an executive producer on HBO’s DTF St. Louis, starring Jason Bateman and David Harbour, which received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series. Previously, he co-created Perpetual Grace for Epix. His prior credits include Amazon’s Patriot and the feature St. Sebastian.
Jensen Ackles is a charismatic actor with a proven track record of captivating audiences across television and film. He is best known for his iconic 15-season run as Dean Winchester on the CW’s Supernatural, the longest-running prime-time American sci-fi series in history, and for his critically acclaimed role as Soldier Boy in Amazon’s The Boys. Upcoming, Ackles will star in and produce Vought Rising, a prequel to The Boys set in the 1950s, premiering on Prime Video in 2027, and will return as Russell Shaw in the fourth season of CBS’ Tracker in October 2026. Beyond his acting career, Ackles is a dedicated producer and philanthropist, supporting causes including Random Acts, Creative Action, and Out Youth alongside his wife Danneel.
John Sandford is the pseudonym for the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist John Camp. He is the author of thePrey series, the Kiddnovels, the Virgil Flowers novels, and six other books, including three YA novels co-authored with his wife Michele Cook.
Terris is repped by CAA, Modern Literary Arts, and Lichter, Grossman, Nichols, Feldman, Rogal, Shikora & Clark, Inc. Jensen Ackles is repped by Gersh and attorney PJ Shapiro. John Sandford is repped by CAA. Daniel Sackheim is repped by Independent Artist Group, Industry Entertainment and Jared Levine.
