Legion (TV series)

Legion
Legion TV series logo
Genre
Created by Noah Hawley
Based on Legion
by Chris Claremont
Bill Sienkiewicz
Starring
Composer(s) Jeff Russo
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
Production
Executive producer(s)
Producer(s) Brian Leslie Parker
Location(s) Vancouver
Cinematography Dana Gonzales
Production company(s)
Distributor 20th Television
Release
Original network FX
External links
Official website

Legion is an upcoming American cable television series created for FX by Noah Hawley, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. It is connected to the X-Men film series, the first television series to do so, and is produced by FX Productions in association with Marvel Television and 26 Keys Productions. Hawley serves as showrunner on the series.

Dan Stevens stars as David Haller, a mutant diagnosed with schizophrenia at a young age. Rachel Keller, Jean Smart, Aubrey Plaza, Jeremie Harris, Amber Midthunder, Katie Aselton, and Bill Irwin also star. In October 2015, FX and Marvel Television announced a new collaboration to create a television series based on the X-Men character Legion, with Hawley signed on to write and direct the pilot. Casting began by January 2016, and the pilot was completed by May. The show was then picked up to series. Filming takes place in Vancouver.

Legion is set to premiere in February 2017, and run for eight episodes over its first season.

Premise

David Haller was diagnosed with schizophrenia at a young age, and has been a patient in various psychiatric hospitals since. After Haller has an encounter with a fellow psychiatric patient, he is confronted with the possibility that there may be more to him than mental illness.[1]

Cast and characters

Main

The mutant son of Charles Xavier who was diagnosed as schizophrenic at a young age and meets the "girl of his dreams" in a psychiatric hospital.[2][3] Stevens joined the series because of showrunner Noah Hawley's involvement, and after exploring the source material. He described the series as "a trip",[3] and his character as "truly insane".[4]
A "self-sufficient and street smart" young woman who "still believes in happily ever after", who becomes Haller's "girlfriend".[2][3] She can not let anyone physically touch her.[5] The character is named after Roger "Syd" Barrett of the rock band Pink Floyd, whose music was an important influence on the series for Hawley.[4]
David's older sister, who tries to remain positive despite his history of mental illness.[8][3] Hawley said that she defined herself as normal "against her brother. She finds herself being looked at as if she might be crazy, as well."[5]

Recurring

Guest

Hawley said in October 2016 that Xavier, who is portrayed in the X-Men films by Patrick Stewart and James McAvoy at different ages, would "probably" be appearing in the series.[5]

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Pilot"Noah Hawley[11]Noah Hawley[1]February 2017 (2017-02)[12]TBD

Production

Development

After he completed work on the first season of his series Fargo at FX in 2014, Noah Hawley was presented with the opportunity to develop the first live-action television series based on the X-Men comics, of which Hawley was a fan while growing up. The initial pitch to him was for a series based on the comics' Hellfire Club, but the idea did not interest Hawley. Instead, he worked with Simon Kinberg, a writer and producer of the X-Men film series, to reverse-engineer an idea for the series. After discussing an "interesting show in this genre ... that isn't being done", the two settled on the character of Legion. Hawley found the character interesting because of his mental illness, and for the potential of the series to depict his unique mindset.[13]

In October 2015, FX ordered a pilot for Legion, with Marvel Television and FX Productions producing; FX Productions would handle the physical production. Hawley was set to write the pilot, and executive produce the series alongside X-Men film producers Lauren Shuler Donner, Bryan Singer, and Kinberg, Marvel Television executives Jeph Loeb and Jim Chory, and Hawley's Fargo collaborator John Cameron.[1] By January 2016, FX President John Landgraf was confident that the series would be picked up by the network, probably for ten episodes, saying that "the vast majority of things that we pilot do go forward to series" and "the scripts [for Legion] are extraordinary."[14] That May, FX ordered an eight-episode first season of Legion.[9] Later, in June, Landgraf explained that only eight episodes were ordered, instead of ten, because FX wanted Hawley to run the series at his own pace rather than try and "pad" it out. Landgraf also said that the series, if successful, could run for as many seasons as Hawley felt it needs to tell the story.[15]

Writing

Kinberg teased in November 2015 that the series would tell "X-Men stories in a slightly different way and even with a slightly different tone" from the films, noting the differences in tone between the "operatic" X-Men films and the "irreverent and hysterical" Deadpool, and feeling that Legion gives "us an opportunity to go even further ... in some ways to sort of blow up the paradigm of comic book or superhero stories and almost do our Breaking Bad of superhero stories."[16] Landgraf said, in January 2016, that the pilot and several further episodes had been written, and the series "might be [set] a few years in the past".[14] Loeb stated that "the core" of all X-Men comic books has always been that "the X-Men were different ... We live in a world right now where diversity and uniqueness and whether or not we fit in is something that's on our minds twenty-four hours a day. The X-Men have never been more relevant than they are right now." Hawley added, "The great thing about exploring this character is before he has an opinion about anyone else, he has to figure out his own shit. That's what we all have to do. This journey isn't necessarily racing toward a battle with an entity, so much as embracing the battle within."[3]

In May 2016, Hawley described his take on the series as being inspired by the works of David Lynch, and said that "the structure of a story should reflect the content of the story. If the story, as in this case, is about a guy who is either schizophrenic or he has these abilities, i.e., he doesn’t know what’s real and what’s not real, then the audience should have the same experience ... my goal with this is to do something whimsical and imaginative and unexpected. Not just because I want to do something different, but because it feels like the right way to tell this story."[11] Elaborating on structuring the series to reflect Haller's point of view, Hawley said, "I love the idea that even when you're in it on the journey, there is this Alice in Wonderland quality to it, of a story within a story." Hawley deliberately chose not to directly adapt any storylines from the comics, feeling that "you're bound to offend somebody, no matter what you do" in that situation. Instead, he wanted to take the character of Legion and basic set-up around him, and "play" with that,[13] which he described in relation to Fargo—"my job was not to remake the movie, to sort of retell a story that had already been told, but to try to tell a different story with the same effect, the same impact."[17]

Concerning the mental illness aspects of the character, Hawley said, "It’s a tragic condition that people have, and so I don’t want to use it for entertainment purposes ... once upon a time he was a little boy who had his whole life ahead of him, and then he began to hear voices and to see things, and ended up institutionalized, and there’s a tragedy, a tragic nature to that. So if we can ground that for the audience, then the idea that he’s fallen in love and that he’s not ill, there’s a hope to that that the audience is gonna grab onto."[17]

Casting

In January 2016, Rachel Keller was cast as the female lead of the series, after her breakout role in Fargo.[18] In early February, Dan Stevens was cast as David Haller, the title role, while Aubrey Plaza and Jean Smart were cast as Haller's friend Lenny Busker and therapist Melanie, respectively. Keller's role was revealed to be Syd Barrett.[2][3] Later that month, Jeremie Harris was cast in the regular role of Ptonomy Wallace,[6] and Amber Midthunder was cast as the savant Kerry Loudermilk.[7][3] In March, Katie Aselton was cast as Haller's older sister Amy.[8] With the full series order in May 2016, Bill Irwin was revealed to have been added to the cast,[9] in the role of Cary Loudermilk.[3] Hawley revealed in October 2016 that Jemaine Clement would be joining the series in what was described as "a multi-episode arc".[10]

Design

Hawley wanted the series to be highly stylized, describing his vision for it as "a 1964 Terence Stamp movie".[10] It was not feasible to literally translate Bill Sienkiewicz's iconic artwork of the character to the screen, and Hawley wanted the series to have "its own visual aesthetic to it, and part of that is being a story kind of out of time and out of place". He stated that "the design of a show has to have its own internal logic", and compared this sensibility to the series Hannibal, which he said was "a great example of something that had this almost fetishistic beauty to everything that you saw, whether it was food or violence." Hawley explained, "Once we started going down a path of a sort of, for whatever reason, mid-60s British design aesthetic, you have to follow that down the rabbit hole. But those visuals are really powerful."[17]

Filming

Kinberg predicted in November 2015 that production on the pilot would start early the next year,[16] and Landgraf revealed in January 2016 that construction on sets had already begun.[14] A month later, filming for the pilot was set to begin in March,[6] in Vancouver.[19] This had been completed by May 2016, with Hawley directing the pilot himself,[11] and Dana Gonzales serving as cinematographer.[20] With the series order, the rest of the first season were set to start filming in August 2016, also in Vancouver.[9][21]

Music

Jeff Russo was revealed to be composing the series' score in October 2016.[4] After screening scenes from the pilot featuring The Who's "Happy Jack" and The Rolling Stones' "She's a Rainbow", Haller stated that when first meeting with Russo about the series, he told the latter that he wanted the series to sound like Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon, explaining "that album more than anything is really the soundscape of mental illness to some degree".[10][4]

Shared universe connections

Landgraf stated, in January 2016, that the series would be set in a universe parallel to the X-Men films where "the US government is in the early days of being aware that something called mutants exist but the public is not". Therefore, he felt it was unlikely that characters would cross over between the show and films, though said that this could change between then and the premiere of the series.[14] That July, an article on Marvel.com referred to Legion as one of several characters joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), suggesting that Legion would be set in that shared universe like Marvel Television's other series.[22] The next month, Singer said that the series had actually been designed to fit into the X-Men universe, but also to stand alone, saying that "you wouldn't have to label" the relationship between the series and the films. He revealed plans to have the series "relate to future X-Men movies".[23]

At New York Comic-Con 2016, Donner said that the series is "far from the X-Men movies, but still lives in that universe. The only way for X-Men to keep moving forward is to be original and to surprise. And this is a surprise. It is very, very different." Hawley explained that because the series is depicting the title character's "subjective reality", it would not have to address any connections to the films straight away, noting that Fargo, which is connected to the 1996 film of the same name, at first "had to stand on its own feet" before exploring those connections more; "We have to earn the right to be part of this universe. My hope is we create something so strong that the people in the movie studio call and say they would be foolish enough not to connect these things." He did state that "you can't tell this story without" acknowledging that Legion is the son of Charles Xavier, who appears in the films. In regards to the MCU, Loeb stated that his involvement in the series was a sign that "bridges are being made" between Marvel and Fox, "but I don't want to make any promises ... Marvel heroes at their core are people who are damaged and are trying to figure out who they are in life. It doesn't matter whether or not they're X-Men, Tony Stark, Matt Murdock or Peter Parker ... If you start at a place as strong as David's character is and you have a storyteller like Noah, then it's Marvel. In that way, it is all connected."[3]

Release

Broadcast

Legion is set to premiere on FX in February 2017.[12] In January 2016, Landgraf had said that he anticipated the series "would go on air" later that year,[14] but that May, FX announced that the series would actually debut in early 2017.[9] The next month, Marvel announced that FOX channels in over 125 countries had picked up their respective airing rights for the series, and that it would be aired using a "day-and-date" delivery system so that viewers around the world get the series on the same day. FOX Networks Group's sales division would also handle distribution of the series to third parties.[24]

Marketing

At San Diego Comic-Con 2016, Marvel's Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada debuted the first trailer for Legion at his "Cup O'Joe" panel.[25] Response to the trailer was positive, particularly its unique tone and visuals. Jacob Kastrenakes of The Verge described the trailer as eclectic, while Daniel Kreps of Rolling Stone called it manic.[26][27] Kelly West at Cinema Blend called the trailer "all kinds of weird... in a good way", and positively compared it to a mix of Fight Club, Mr. Robot, and The Matrix.[28] At New York Comic-Con later that year, the series held its own panel. Hawley, Loeb, Donner, and the series' main cast members were present to promote the series and screen the first half of the pilot episode.[3] In response to the footage, Deadline.com's Dominic Patten said "we know three things for sure about Legion, it looks great, has top notch pacing and a killer choice of music."[10] Nick Romano, recapping the panel for Entertainment Weekly, called the footage "just as chaotic as the mind of David Haller" and "almost Kubrickian in nature". "Based on what was screened," Romano added, "Legion already seems to have an erratic, hallucinatory tone and style that we’ve never seen before from a superhero TV series."[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "FX Networks Orders Pilot for 'Legion'". Marvel.com. October 14, 2014. Archived from the original on October 10, 2016. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Dan Stevens, Aubrey Plaza & Jean Smart Cast in FX Networks' Pilot for 'Legion'". Marvel.com. February 4, 2016. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Wigler, Josh (October 9, 2016). "'Legion' Premiere Previewed at NYCC: A Look Inside FX's Upcoming 'X-Men' Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Desta, Yohana (October 9, 2016). "The Surprising Connection Between Marvel's Legion and Pink Floyd". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Romano, Nick (October 9, 2016). "Why FX's Legion is the Fargo of superhero TV". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 Goldberg, Leslie (February 18, 2016). "FX's 'X-Men' Drama 'Legion' Adds to Cast (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  7. 1 2 Andreeva, Nellie (February 22, 2016). "'Legion' FX Pilot Casts Amber Midthunder". Deadline.com. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  8. 1 2 Dornbush, Jonathon (March 1, 2016). "The League star Katie Aselton cast in FX's Legion". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 "FX Networks Picks Up 'Legion' to Series". Marvel.com. May 31, 2016. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Patten, Dominic (October 9, 2016). "'Legion' Adds Jemaine Clement To FX Marvel Series – NY Comic-Con". Deadline.com. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  11. 1 2 3 Robinson, Joanna (May 27, 2016). "Why Everyone Wants a Piece of Noah Hawley". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  12. 1 2 Foutch, Haleigh (October 18, 2016). "'Legion': FX Confirms Early 2017 Release Date with a Crazy Awesome New Teaser". Collider.com. Archived from the original on October 19, 2016. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  13. 1 2 Sepinwell, Alan (June 1, 2016). "'Fargo' boss on Ewan McGregor in season 3, 'X-Men' spin-off 'Legion,' and his new hit novel". HitFix. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 Schwartz, Terri (January 16, 2016). "FX'S Legion Anticipated to Debut in 2016; Series Not Set in X-Men Film Universe". IGN. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  15. ↑ Patten, Dominic (June 4, 2016). "John Landgraf Talks 'Legion' On FX & Changing Marketplace; Slams Silicon Valley – Produced By". Deadline.com. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  16. 1 2 Chitwood, Adam (November 17, 2015). "Simon Kinberg Says the 'Legion' TV Series Will Be the "'Breaking Bad' of Superhero Stories"". Collider.com. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  17. 1 2 3 Goldman, Eric (August 29, 2016). "Legion: Noah Hawley on His Surreal Approach and Casting Dan Stevens for the Marvel Adaptation". IGN. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  18. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (January 5, 2016). "'Legion': FX Marvel Pilot Casts 'Fargo's Rachel Keller As Female Lead". Deadline.com. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  19. ↑ "TV pilot shoots in Vancouver grew nearly 70% since last year". Daily Hive. August 4, 2016. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  20. ↑ Giardina, Carolyn (July 8, 2016). "Emmys: Why 'Gotham's' Penguin Is a Favorite Among the Series' Cinematographers". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  21. ↑ Maslow, Nick (June 10, 2016). "Legion: Noah Hawley reveals why he chose TV over film for Marvel adaptation". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  22. ↑ Lovett, Jamie (July 31, 2016). "X-Men's Legion Seemingly Confirmed As Part Of Marvel Cinematic Universe". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  23. ↑ Szalai, Georg (August 25, 2016). "Bryan Singer, Peter Rice Talk FX's 'Legion,' Start of 'X-Men' Movie Franchise". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  24. ↑ Morse, Ben (June 8, 2015). "'Legion' Goes Global". Marvel.com. Archived from the original on October 19, 2016. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  25. ↑ Osborn, Alex (July 23, 2016). "Comic-Con 2016: Debut Trailer for X-MEN TV Show Legion Released". IGN. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  26. ↑ Kastrenakes, Jacob (July 23, 2016). "Watch the first trailer for FX's X-Men series, Legion". The Verge. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  27. ↑ Kreps, Daniel (July 24, 2016). "Watch Manic First Trailer for FX's 'X-Men' Spinoff 'Legion'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  28. ↑ West, Kelly. "Legion Trailer: FX's Superhero Show Could Be Marvel's Weirdest Yet". Kelly West. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2016.

External links

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