There's Definitely a Sons of Anarchy Feel to It

On the heels of Sons of Anarchy [7]'s success, it sounds like writer and actor Kurt Sutter is bringing some key elements from the show into his new series. The Bastard Executioner follows a warrior knight [8] in King Edward I's charge who's "broken down by the ravages of war and vows to lay down his sword . . . but when that violence finds him again, he is forced to pick up the bloodiest sword of all."

That sounds an awful lot like the story of Jax Teller — in the best way. Like the knight, Jax felt disenchanted by the Sons of Anarchy [9] organization and dreamt of walking away from the violence — only to find himself completely immersed in it.

There's Some Sons of Anarchy Cast Crossover, Too

Kurt Sutter and his wife, Katey Sagal, who also starred on Sons of Anarchy [10], will both be on the show. According to the cast lineup, Sagal will star as Annora of the Alders, a "mystical" woman who "offers predictions, cures, and potions." And unlike in Sons of Anarchy, this time around, Sutter will play his wife's other half — The Dark Mute.

There's also another cast member fans will recognize: Timothy V. Murphy, who played Irishman Galen O'Shay on Sons of Anarchy, is set to star as Father Ruskin, a former soldier who left the military for the seminary.

The Lead Is a New (and Very Handsome) Face

Another Sons of Anarchy [11] parallel? The Bastard Executioner centers around a good-looking lead. Australian theater actor Lee Jones will star as Wilkin Brattle, who — like Jax — is "emotionally deep" and "spiritually tortured."

And About Charlie Hunnam . . .

There's been a lot of buzz about whether or not Sons of Anarchy [12] star Charlie Hunnam [13] will make an appearance on the new series, and for what it's worth, during the 2014 TCAs, Hunnam said of Sutter and the new show [14], "He f*cking better put me on it . . . I would love to go and be on that show. Maybe just for a season or two — or for more, whatever. But he's going to be in big trouble if he doesn't invite me."

Meanwhile, Some Famous Faces Are Already Attached

True Blood's Stephen Moyer [15] will play Milus Corbett, the "street-smart" chamberlain, chancellor, and justiciar. Matthew Rhys is set to guest star as Gruffudd y Blaidd, the "smart, fearless, noble" leader of the Welsh rebels.

Ed Sheeran's Playing a Recurring Character

And speaking of that star-studded cast — in July, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Ed Sheeran will appear on The Bastard Executioner [16] with a recurring role as Sir Cormac, "an ambitious and deadly protégé of a high-ranking church elder." As to how Sheeran got involved, it all started after he said he was a Sons of Anarchy [17] fan. He and Sutter tweeted to each other, and the singer ended up recording a cover of Foy Vance's "Make It Rain" for the show.

It's Shaping Up to Be a Historical Drama

Matthew Rhys talked to Yahoo! TV [18] about his role in the series, saying, "The series itself is set in Wales, and it's taking a lot from Welsh history. Purely and simply, just to be able to use my own native accent is a real luxury."

There Will Be Plenty of Eye Candy

Thanks to the #TBX hashtag and plenty of tweets from writers, producers, and cast members, we also discovered handsome French actor Matthieu Charneau (center), who, according to his Twitter bio [19], will very appropriately be playing a character named Frenchie on the show.