Season one of El Rey Network’s game-changing Lucha Underground ended on Wednesday, and anyone with a love of pro wrestling, a beating heart and a functioning pair of eyeballs is clamoring for season two. Dario Cueto’s Temple has been dismantled, and aside from a “to be continued” at the end of ULTIMA LUCHA, we haven’t gotten a solid word on when or where that’ll happen.
Executive producer Eric Van Wagenen stopped by Reddit on Friday afternoon for a TELL US ABOUT SEASON TWO conversation in an AMA’s clothing, and he gave us the closest thing we’ve gotten (or that there is) to a straight answer.
Here it is, from the man who knows:
I hope this helps…I have this one already typed… this is obviously why they asked me to be here, so I’ll answer it very honestly and then you all can go back to work. Let’s break it down into parts – “If” and “when” and “where”. There is very little doubt in my mind about the “if”. I’d say its a 99.9% chance that a second season is happening. LU is a partnership, and each of the partners are committed to making season 2 happen. The “To be continued…” at the end of UltimaLucha was not just us trolling you, it was more of a promise.
The issues about money and production costs are indeed real, although vastly overstated. We didn’t spend $20 Million – not even close. El Rey is the one of the best networks I’ve ever worked with, but what they have to spend doesn’t quite cover the costs of a show like Lucha Underground. So our choices are to either 1. Raise the money from another source, or 2. Make the show cheaper.
We are currently looking for a second broadcasting partner – either a streaming service, or even an additional broadcast network. We are also aggressively going after foreign sales, sponsorships, and integration partners. Those deals take time to secure, and that is why there has been a delay in announcing an official pick-up. The “when” of this is what’s up in the air. Of course we’d like to be back on the air in October, but realistically that date is likely to push. I’d put January of 2016 as the latest date of our return.
The “where” is also being debated and is part of option 2. LA is expensive. As much as we all want to stay in Boyle Heights, we may need to investigate a different location for season 2. There are other locations with tax incentives or where resources are cheaper. Of course story-wise we can make anything work. We all saw Dario leave the temple and where he ends up is anyone’s guess.
TL;DR Yes, but not sure when or where.
I’d be okay with January, if it meant a guaranteed, full season at the level of season one. Also, hey, if Dario Cueto wants to build his new Temple at Troublemaker Studios in Austin, Texas, I wouldn’t complain.
