Longtime indie film actor Stephen Hill and "Twilight: Breaking Dawn" actress Tanaya Beatty have been cast in HBO’s upcoming miniseries on American explorers Lewis and Clark. 

Based on the Meriwether Lewis biography "Undaunted Courage" by Stephen E. Ambrose, the story surrounds Lewis and Clark’s first contact with native American land and tribes west of the Mississippi River. 

Hill is to play York, William Clark’s enslaved companion and the only black member of the expedition, while Beatty will play Shoshone interpreter and guide Sacagawea. 

Though York and Sacagawea were considered full members of the expedition, given America’s complicated history it’ll be interesting to see how these two characters are handled, and received by viewers.

The project is set to begin shooting this summer.