Nearly a year and a half after word first broke that FX was developing aY: The Last ManTV series, the network has finally ordered a pilot. The road to an adaptation of theBrian K. Vaughangraphic novel has been long and full of stops and starts, with a feature film adaptation in the worksback in 2009. The film adaptation gained new life in 2012 when10 Cloverfield LanedirectorDan Trachtenbergbecame attached to direct, but then it languished in development hell so long the rights eventually reverted back to Vaughan and co-creatorPia Guerra.
InOctober 2015rumors swirled that FX might try a TV series adaptation, then inNovember 2016formerAmerican Godsco-showrunnerMichael Greensigned on to spearhead the project. Green’s star has been rising over the past year as he also co-wrote the featuresLogan,Alien: Covenant,Blade Runner 2049andMurder on the Orient Express. And now, since this project moves at a snail’s pace, FX has officially announced a pilot order for theY: The Last ManTV series. Green remains onboard as executive producer and will serve as co-showrunner alongsideAida MashakaCroal, who formerly served as a writer/producer on shows likeTURN,Luke Cage, andJessica Jones. There’s no conflict of interest withAmerican Gods, as Green andBryan Fullerexited the showrunner chair of that Starz series over creative differences at the end of Season 1.
The TV show adaptation will simply be titledYand takes place in a world where all men but one are dead. This last man must then traverse a world of women “exploring gender, race, class and survival.”
FilmmakerMelina Matsoukas, whose credits include the HBO seriesInsecure, the “Thanksgiving” episode ofMaster of None, andBeyonce’s “Formation” video, is onboard to direct the pilot. Indeed, it’s encouraging to see that the director as well as the co-showrunner of this series are women of color, and it seems to signal that FX is interested in doing more than simply making a comic-book series here.
FX is one of the most ambitious networks around, greenlighting and standing behind strange yet exciting shows likeLegionandAtlanta. The network recently lost its biggest writer/producer asRyan Murphyis jumping ship to Netflix, but thisYpilot order is a sign that FX has no intention of going for the pure commercial play.
Given this project’s luck over the years it’s probably unwise to assume this series is a go, but a pilot order is a good sign. Matsoukas will also executive produce alongsideNina Jacobson,Brad Simpson, and Vaughan himself.
