Television audiences can easily overlook a series’ less than stellar ending for the nostalgia of seasons past. So, even folks who felt let down by the Sons of Anarchy green-screen of doom felt a jolt of excitement at news of a spinoff. For years, Kurt Sutter delighted in stoking the fires of a prequel, which led to much speculation but would likely take SAMCRO back to its inception in the 1960s. This seems risky because the legend of John Teller will always outweigh anything an actor could bring to the table. Also, we wouldn’t see any familiar faces travel back in time, which deflates the power of nostalgia for SOA actors. The given timeline would also leave no possibility of seeing young Jax and Opie on the playground together.
Sutter stressed how he needed to step away from the SOA universe for awhile, but plans may have changed after The Bastard Executioner failed to find an audience. So, Sutter is available again, and FX wants to proceed with the announced SOA spinoff revolving around the Mayans Motorcycle Club. Will the spinoff be set in present day or head back into the past? The present seems more practical since Sutter didn’t kill existing characters off (yet). However, there’s a huge question of whether Sutter will be involved at all. Obviously, the Otto Delaney character is a no-go in present time, but will Sutter be showrunning or even writing? Variety spoke with FX CEO John Landgraf and received some puzzling answers:
Landgraf said Sutter is “working on an idea for a new show” for FX, and he’s starting to re-engage with the Sons of Anarchy spinoff that has been gestating for a while. Sutter is not expected to write or serve as showrunner on the spinoff, which would focus on the Mayans motorcycle crew and would be set in the Northern California motorcycle club scene.
Following Bastard Executioner, Landgraf suggested that Sutter “take time off to rest,” but Sutter told Landgraf he couldn’t stop writing. “He’ll be coming to me soon,” the exec said.
Sutter likely wants to prove he can still invent new worlds and may strike out with an entirely different project, but it’s hard to imagine him not being in the thick of things. Sutter would thrill in crafting a storyline for Nero to grow more heavily involved with the Mayans (beyond acting as a peacemaker and randomly ending up in one of their closets). A good start would be Nero trying to pick up the pieces of his life after Gemma and Jax’s deaths. He could also play a huge role in raising Jax’s sons, so there’s a lot of potential for the future. And of course, this show could present an expanded role for president Marcus Alvarez (Emilio Rivera). Let’s face it — Sutter won’t be able to resist.
Meanwhile, Landgraf wasn’t keen to reveal much about the sixth season of American Horror Story other than how the series will be “set in two time periods … but principally in the present.” Landgraf admitted the past would be portrayed in flashbacks but said Ryan Murphy “will kill me” if anything else drops. Oh television, so dramatic and secretive.
(Via Variety)
