Ever since The Walking Dead became a ratings juggernaut for AMC, television networks have been scrambling to snatch up comic book properties to bring to the small screen. One of the most promising adaptations on the horizon was a drama based off of Brian Michael Bendis’ superhero police procedural, Powers, which was picked up for a pilot by FX. However, in a recent interview with Comic Book Resources, one of the show’s stars, Khary Payton, revealed that the show has hit some big problems.
"Unfortunately, we – all of the actors – got released. They're literally starting over. They want to do it again. And fortunately and unfortunately, I'm doing another show, and I still hope beyond hope that I can be a part of Powers,” Payton told the site. “But I'm happy to be working. But things are happening with Powers absolutely. There are scripts being turned out. They just want more material to hear that they're getting it right."
It's certainly never a good sign when an entire cast is let go. We reported a few months ago that FX had passed on the original pilot for Powers, and that the show was undergoing some massive rewrites and reshoots in order to fit the vision of the network. It was never reported that all of the actors were fired until Payton revealed it.
In a bit of good news, a representative over at FX told the site, “I won’t comment on any of the actors contracts, but I’ll tell you this project is not dead, and it is still to be determined if we’ll move forward with reshoots on the pilot. There is currently no timetable on when to move forward."
The representative might not have wanted to officially declare the project dead, but the signs thus far haven’t been positive. Live-action was always going to be tough for a project like Powers in the first place because it would have relied heavily on special-effects and fantasy elements to truly recreate the world from the comics.
Fans of Brian Michael Bendis’ original stories could continue to hold out hope that this pilot will see the light of day eventually, but we wouldn’t suggest that they do. If this doesn’t work out, hopefully there is still enough interest in the property to eventually see a Powers movie, or, better yet, an animated series.
[via Comic Book Resources]
