Fan Casting

In 1859, the quiet town of Titusville explodes into chaos when oil is discovered. Overnight, everyone, from the sheriff to the undertaker, starts drilling for “black gold.” Fights break out over land, wells are sabotaged, and law disappears. The desperate mayor calls in Lucky Luke to restore order, but even he quickly realizes this isn’t a normal outlaw problem, this is greed gone wild. Behind the chaos stands Barry Blunt, a rich speculator who doesn’t drill but quietly buys oil claims from frightened or ruined owners, using intimidation and violence when needed. As Luke watches him, the situation worsens: Billy the Kid arrives, robbing oil shipments for fun; Jesse James starts hitting banks and trains, believing he’s helping the common man but actually fueling the collapse; and nearby settlements are mysteriously abandoned, turning into “ghost towns” after people are forced off their land. Taking advantage of the madness, the Dalton brothers seize a town and turn it into Dalton City, a brutal checkpoint controlling oil transport. With encouragement from Ma Dalton, they shift from simple bandits to power players, working indirectly with Blunt to profit from the instability. Meanwhile, the prairie is carved up with barbed wire, pushing farmers out and turning the land into a battleground between the rich and the desperate. Luke breaks the Dalton operation and captures the brothers, but Ma Dalton escapes. He confronts Jesse James. Jesse is suddenly shot in the back by Robert Ford, a gang member seeking fame. Ford attacks Luke and Luke kills him in a quick duel. Billy the Kid sets a final trap in a ghost town, but Luke outdraws and disarms him, taking him alive. A massive battle erupts among burning derricks. Luke fights through the chaos, stopping Blunt’s men and facing Ma Dalton, whom he shoots when she tries to kill him. Blunt makes a last attempt to flee with his fortune, but Luke tracks him down and kills him.