Western fan Robert Duvall is developing a new period TV drama about the riders of the Pony Express. The star has always been fascinated by America's primitive telegram service, which featured young boys racing across the country on horseback to deliver crucial letters, deeds and documents.

And now, through his Butchers Run Films company, he's come up with a new venture for cable channel AMC, in which he'll star.

He says, "We're gonna develop on the Pony Express from 100 years ago which was very fascinating. The bosses would put up a sign saying, `Riders under 21, orphans preferred,' because the work was so arduous. Buffalo Bill was 14-years-old when he rode for the Express. It was a very interesting part of our history that only lasted 18 months, when the telegraph knocked it out. It was a pretty interesting time."

Duvall's westerns have enjoyed a lot of success on the AMC channel - his most recent series, Broken Trail, won the actor and co-star Thomas Haden Church Emmy Awards last month.

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)