AMC has done so well with its period drama 'Mad Men' that the network has decided to go back even further in history. According to Deadline Hollywood, AMC has chosen the two leads for its drama pilot 'Hell on Wheels,' a Western set during the building of the Transcontinental Railroad. Anson Mount will star opposite female lead Dominique McElligott.

Cullen is described as a fearless character with a dark past. But his baggage is much darker, and his cold stare is sure to make Don Draper look like he's wearing a pink, frilly dress.

A former slave owner and a Confederate soldier, Cullen is on a mission to kill the Union soldiers who raped and murdered his wife. Will this be the next feel-good hit of the year? Only if you're David Simon.

Common, already an accomplished rapper and silver screen actor has turned his sights on TV.

According to Deadline Hollywood, Common has been tapped to star in AMC's pilot 'Hell on Wheels,' a western about the Transcontinental Railroad. He'll will Elam, a half black/half white freed slave seeking work on the railroad.

"Common brings a layered intensity to a very complex role," Joel Stillerman, AMC's senior vice president programming, said. "This part required someone who can transcend the stereotypes of the period and bring the character to life in a truly unique way, and he brings that."

Audiences may remember Common from this summer's 'Date Night' and 'Just Wright.'

In other TV casting news ...

AMC's last original cowpoke drama, the miniseries 'Broken Trail,' earned three Emmys, including one for lead Robert Duvall. Now, the network is revisiting the Old West with its newest original series, the "high-octane" Western 'Hell on Wheels.'

The Wrap reports that the series will follow the construction of the first transcontinental railroad. The project comes from Joe and Tony Gayton, the writing team behind the upcoming Dwayne Johnson film 'Faster' and past hits 'Bulletproof' and 'Uncommon Valor.' Separately, Tony Gayton penned the thrillers 'The Salton Sea' and 'Murder by Numbers.'

"The Gaytons have created a high-octane world that pays homage to the script's namesake, and this show fits perfectly with our goal of creating premium television on basic cable," AMC said in a statement.