‘The Bastard Executioner’: Brief update on Kurt Sutter’s post-‘Sons of Anarchy’ project for FX
There are few shows that it is as easy to get excited about, while still knowing so little, as “The Bastard Executioner.” Why? Really, you just have to know that this is Kurt Sutter’s follow-up project to “Sons of Anarchy,” which we like to think turned out pretty well. (Clearly, this is the biggest understatement we’ve made so far in 2015.)
Given the hype surrounding this project for FX, coupled with Sutter’s notoriety and his penchant for sharing updates, we have an opportunity this year to do something that is not entirely common for us: Being able to follow along the path of a new series from its early days to when it starts to materialize fully. Part of the fun here comes via the mystery; we have no idea at present what the show will look like, who the cast will be (save for Katey Sagal will be involved in some way), or even when filming will begin. We’re going into this blind, save for Sutter’s own occasional updates and some basic details about a time period and an executioner.
The latest update from Sutter via Twitter (see below) makes it clear that the first draft of the script is being sent to FX and the studio today, which is one of the first major steps. Of course, there are multiple drafts ahead, network and studio notes, and a whole lot of other steps to go through just with this process alone. While we can’t speak for individual shows, by and large everything that we’ve heard about FX externally is that they tend to let creators create, and don’t bog them down with their own suggestions quite like others that are out there. This is why Sutter was able to do so much with “Sons of Anarchy,” and why you see other shows like “Louie” that have the flexibility to come on the air whenever Louis CK is ready to tell more stories.
Getting the script ready is obviously an important step, but at this stage, almost everything is. For right now, the best general mantra to maintain is “in Sutter we trust.” He has the reputation now in between “The Shield” and “Sons of Anarchy,” and while we don’t want to clamp too many expectations upon a show at this stage, we do feel it will be visually stunning, and unique from anything else on TV. That in itself makes it worth a viewing.
We will have more updates on “The Bastard Executioner” throughout the process, so stay tuned. Also, sign up if you want to grab some other TV updates from us via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: FX.)