There's a new motorcycle crew coming to FX. A Sons of Anarchy spinoff gets a pilot order and a big star.
The Sons of Anarchy spinoff Mayans MC is one step closer to a reality. FX ordered a pilot for the show created by Kurt Sutter. The script for the pilot is written by Sutter and Elgin James, who will also serve as executive producers. Filming is set to begin in March, with Sutter set to direct.
Mayans MC Cast News:
In the first bit of casting news, Edward James Olmos has joined the cast as a series regular according to a report from Variety. Olmos (Battlestar Gallactica) will play Felipe Reyes, "the once-strong Mexican patriarch, crushed by bullets and hard labor, who struggles to keep his past buried and lead his sons down a lawful, righteous path."
Mayans MC Plot Details
According to a release, the show is“set in a post Jax Teller world, where EZ Reyes, a prospect in the Mayan MC charter on the Cali/Mexi border, struggles with his desire for vengeance against the cartel, and his need for respect from the women he loves.”
High-profile spinoffs have come a long way from when NBC’s beloved sitcom Friends gave way to the critically panned Joey. AMC set its programming slate for the long haul in 2014, successfully turning Breaking Bad into Better Call Saul and using The Walking Dead as a jumping off point for Fear the Walking Dead. Whether it’s a prequel using existing characters, or a new story in the same universe, “spinoff” doesn’t carry the same negative connotation it once did.
Seeing success elsewhere, it’s easy to see why FX is entertaining the idea of building off one of its most celebrated shows. The network is working on a Sons of Anarchy spinoff, network CEO John Landgraf confirmed at TCAs.
Sons of Anarchy creator/writer/star Kurt Sutter, who was the mind behind the short-lived The Bastard Executioner, which was cancelled by FX in the fall, is not currently involved with the spinoff beyond being named an executive producer. Sutter will look for a showrunner to handle the project on a day-to-day basis.
The spinoff would follow the Mayans motorcycle crew and would be set in the Northern California motorcycle club scene.
Sons of Anarchy ended after seven seasons December 2014. The seventh season was the highest-rated in FX history, averaging 7.55 million viewers.