Comic Con: Michael Parks Cast In Kevin Smith's Red State

Michael Parks isn't the most notable name in the world, but if you know the works of Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino you know his face. One of the most distinct characters of their universe, he is Texas Ranger Earl McGraw, seen in From Dusk Till Dawn, Grindhouse and Kill Bill and now he's heading to the View Askew world.

During his annual Kevin Smith conversation at Comic Con, Smith announced that Parks has officially signed on to star in his next film, the horror film Red State. For those that are unaware, the film will be somewhat based on the Westboro Baptist Church, who, coincidentally, are picketing this year's Comic Con. Parks' role will be based on the role of Fred Phelps, who founded the church.

Parks is a terrific actor and certainly deserves his day. It is well documented that Smith, Tarantino and Rodriguez are all within the same circle so it's fairly unsurprising to see them sharing an actor. It's hard to even remember the last time that Parks had a lead role, but this could be fantastic.

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Eric Eisenberg is the Assistant Managing Editor at CinemaBlend. After graduating Boston University and earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism, he took a part-time job as a staff writer for CinemaBlend, and after six months was offered the opportunity to move to Los Angeles and take on a newly created West Coast Editor position. Over a decade later, he's continuing to advance his interests and expertise. In addition to conducting filmmaker interviews and contributing to the news and feature content of the site, Eric also oversees the Movie Reviews section, writes the the weekend box office report (published Sundays), and is the site's resident Stephen King expert. He has two King-related columns.