If you’re wondering why FX has been particularly quiet about its upcoming Sons of Anarchy spinoff, Mayans MC, Variety has revealed the somewhat troubling news that the network now plans to completely reshoot and partially recast its Latino-centric pilot.
Little is known about which actors FX plans to replace, but considering that Mayans MC is set to undergo major reshoots, we imagine this shake-up will be fairly extensive. Prior to Variety’s scoop, the spinoff pilot had cast JD Pardo as Ezekiel “EZ” Reyes, Edward James Olmos as EZ’s father Felipe, and Richard Cabral as Johnny “El Coco” Cruz – three key players of the Sons of Anarchy follow-up, so we assume their places aboard Mayans MC are relatively safe.
MC will only be partially recast, remember, so it’s more likely that FX will choose to overhaul the roster of supporting players, one which previously featured Jacqueline Obradors, John Ortiz, Antonio Jaramillo, Clayton Cardenas, Sarah Bolger, Emilio Rivera, and Raymond Cruz. Behind the scenes, series creator Kurt Sutter has now stepped down as pilot director to focus on the script, and will instead hand over the torch to Norberto Barba, who comes on board as executive producer and director.
Here’s a reminder of what Mayans MC is all about:
Set in the aftermath of Jax Teller’s death at the end of SOA’s seven-season run in 2014, Mayans MC will focus on the struggles of Ezekiel “EZ” Reyes, a prospect in the Mayan MC charter on the California/Mexico border. EZ is the gifted son of a proud Latino family, whose American dream was snuffed out by cartel violence. Now, his need for vengeance drives him toward a life he never intended and can never escape.
Exactly how this will affect Mayans MC moving forward remains to be seen; at the very least, it would appear that FX’s spinoff was in desperate need of a tune-up. The Sons of Anarchy franchise will still continue, of course, but expect its Latino-centric offshoot to spend a little more time in the oven.
