Comics writer Brian K. Vaughan’s Runaways hit the small screen earlier this year, but his most famous work Y: The Last Man (possibly eclipsed by the still-running Saga) has hit a number of hurdles over the years in trying to get adapted. It started as a New Line film adaptation that failed to get off the ground after numerous rewrites of the script. But now FX has ordered a pilot for TV, a much more suitable medium in my opinion.
Y: The Last Man, drawn by Pia Guerra and published by Vertigo, has Yorick and his pet monkey Ampersand surviving in a world where all other male mammals suddenly die off and women are left to rule the Earth.
Michael Green (American Gods, Logan) and Aida Mashaka Croal (Luke Cage, Turn) are attached as showrunners. Alongside them Brian K. Vaughan is serving as an Executive Producer as well as Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson of Color Force studio (American Crime Story, The Hunger Games) and director Melina Matsoukas (Insecure, Master of None).
With the announcement of the cast there is no doubt in my mind this project is now finally going ahead. But as we all know in the TV world nothing is a sure deal, but at least we have this pilot. While Yorick and friends will face some trials I just hope it retains some of the humour of the comics and doesn’t become yet another cruel and depressing post-apocalyptic world à la The Walking Dead.
The main cast:
Diane Lane (Unfaithful, Under the Tuscan Sun) as Senator Jennifer Brown
Barry Keoghan (Dunkirk, The Killing of a Sacred Deer) as Yorick Brown
Imogen Poots (Green Room, Frank & Lola) as Hero Brown
Lashana Lynch (Captain Marvel, Bulletproof) as Agent 355
Juliana Canfield (Succession) as Beth Deville
Marin Ireland (Sneaky Pete, Hell or High Water) as Nora (not in the comics)
TV has always been a part of Michael’s life, but since the influx of streaming shows now he can’t stop (someone send help). He also dabbles in films and video games, and has a mean board game collection.
Michael has a Bachelor of Arts in Media Studies from Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand. He has previously written about video games for publications including Game Console, Salient, and ButtonMasher.
