Y: THE LAST MAN TV series dropped by FX

In a surprising move, FX has decided not to proceed with a second season of Y: The Last Man, its adaptation of Brian K. Vaughan's much-lauded comic book series. The decision is especially startling as it was taken when only seven of the ten episodes had aired in the United States, and six worldwide. Typically such decisions would only be taken or announced once the whole season was available, so as not to put people off watching the rest of the season.

Vaughan's Y: The Last Man comic book series, co-created and drawn by Pia Guerra, ran from 2002 to 2008 and was a marked early success in the post-apocalyptic comic genre (Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead debuted a year later). The comic posits a world where every single mammal with a Y chromosome (even sperm) has instantly dropped dead or become unviable, apart from two: the titular Yorick Brown and his pet monkey, Ampersand. The two find themselves at the mercy of the surviving female population, some of whom want to clone them, others who want to use their genetic material to create a cure, and a nihilistic cult which wants to kill him and end any hope of survival for the human race. The comic was applauded for its unpredictable story turns.

There were several attempts to bring the show to the screen before FX landed the rights in 2015. Development was repeatedly stymied by changes in personnel and disputes between the studio and various showrunners on the tone of the show. A pilot was filmed in 2018, which created a mixed reaction at the network. Eliza Clark finally landed the showrunner gig in 2019 and was able to steer the first season into production. However, the production period for the show then ran into problems and delays resulting from the COVID pandemic before finally concluding in July 2021, three years after shooting on the pilot began. The show began airing last month after a further change, a last-minute move from FX itself to American streaming service Hulu.

The show has received fairly mixed reviews, with a common consensus being that the opening episodes are too grim and humourless before the show is allowed to breathe in later episodes. Other criticisms include the writing for protagonist Yorick Brown, which makes him very unlikeable for large chunks of the season, and a scattergun narrative that careens between three storylines (Yorick on the move, his sister who has fallen in with a cult and his mother's precarious position as the President of the United States) with some severe pacing issues. Some critics also noted that the show's grimdark tone is not necessarily the best fit for the world in general right now, and that also some of the show's thunder and power has been stolen by several other post-apocalyptic shows, including The Walking Dead and its two spin-offs, as well as the recent mini-series version of The Stand. However, critical appreciation for the series has grown over the course of the season, with special praise reserved for Ashley Romans' powerful performance as Agent 355.

The actual reasons for the cancellation are unclear - FX has not commented so far - but it might be that the show's initial release has simply not delivered the required viewing figures on Hulu and, worldwide, Disney+. The delays have meant that the show is very expensive and it needed to be a massive hit right out of the gate.

For my part, the show started sluggishly but has picked up momentum over the course of the season and the story has become more interesting. Certainly the source material, if adapted well, has the potential to take the show on a wild ride which should avoid comparisons with other post-apocalyptic series.

Showrunner Eliza Clark has noted that they have the opportunity to take the project elsewhere, and it may be possible to save the show on another network or streaming service. The show has picked up a few high-profile fans, with Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul star Bob Odenkirk revealing he's a fan on Twitter.

UPDATE: The Hollywood Reporter has the inside scoop on why the show was cancelled. There was a hard deadline of 15 October when FX had to decide to spend $3 million on renewing the cast contracts or not, and they decided they would not do that without a renewal decision. Since they did not have enough viewing figure data to make the call, they decided not to renew. It also sounds like FX may have become somewhat disillusioned with the project given its six-year gestation period and frequent changes of showrunner and actors.

However, FX are reportedly keen to help the show find a new home and it sounds like discussions are underway for Y: The Last Man to move to potentially HBO Max, which might be a better fit for it. This is unusual given that FX is part of the Disney family and the show could perhaps move somewhere else within its empire, but a sign of good faith that FX has in the production team. Given that the cast contracts have now been terminated and the cast could start getting other offers soon, such a transition would have to happen pretty quickly.

Brian K. Vaughan's Y: THE LAST MAN to hit screens on 13 September

After years in development hell, a protracted development process involving a pilot that had to be heavily reshot and then production delays due to a pandemic, Brian K. Vaughan's Y: The Last Man finally has a release date and trailer.

The series is set in a world where, in one single moment, every living mammal on the planet with a Y chromosome drops dead, including sperm and embryos. With, to all intents and purposes, every man on the planet dead, the remainder of humanity grapples with the prospect of extinction and also the sheer difficulty in keeping everything running when ever other member of the species has expired. As chaos spreads and civilisation threatens to unravel, it is revealed that two Y-bearing mammals have survived...and are now the #1 target for every government, scientist and nutcase in the world.

The original comic series ran for sixty issues between 2002 and 2008. It made Vaughan's name, paving the way for his later work on the TV show Lost and later comic series including Paper Girls and the massively successful Saga.

The TV version is executive produced by Eliza Clark and stars Diane Lane as President Jennifer Brown, Ben Schnetzer as Yorick Brown, Ashley Romans as Agent 355, Diana Bang as Dr. Allison Mann, Olivia Thirlby as Hero Brown, Juliana Canfield as Beth DeVille and Marin Ireland as Nora Brady.

Y: The Last Man will debut on 13 September on FX on Hulu. International broadcast partners have not been revealed, though due to a deal with the BBC in the UK, it is likely to air on the BBC and iPlayer streaming service there.

FX greenlights Y: THE LAST MAN TV series

FX have formally greenlit a TV series based on the graphic novel series Y: The Last Man, co-created by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra.

FX have produced an internal pilot based on the comics and clearly decided it was good enough to move forward with a full first season, due to debut in 2020.

The TV series will just be called Y. Closely based on the graphic novels, it follows what happens when every male animal on the planet, including humans, drops dead without warning. The human race faces extinction...until it is discovered that one solitary man has survived. He becomes torn between different factions, some of whom want to kill him and others who want to use him to help repopulate the species.

The TV adaptation stars Diane Lane, Barry Keoghan, Lashana Lynch, Imogen Poots and Amber Tamblyn.

Cast announced for Y: THE LAST MAN TV adaptation

Or, more accurately, the cast was announced back in July and I missed it at the time.

Y: The Last Man, originally a graphic novel series by Saga writer Brian K. Vaughan, opens with the death of every single male mammal on the planet with a Y-chromosome, apart from Yorick Brown and his pet monkey, Ampersand. The sixty-issue comic series explores the aftermath of this event, with various factions battling to take control of Yorick, kill him, or use him to repopulate the human race.

The principle roles for the series have been cast as follows:

• Barry Keoghan (Dunkirk) will play the protagonist, Yorick Brown, the last man alive.
• Diane Lane (The Cotton Club, Chaplin, Man of Steel) will play Senator Jennifer Brown, Yorick's mother and a high-ranking member of the US government following the disaster.
• Imogen Poots (V for Vendetta, 28 Weeks Later) will play Hero Brown, Yorick's sister who falls in with an extremist group following the disaster.
• Lashana Lynch (Captain Marvel) will play Agent 355, a member of a top-secret American intelligence organisation who is - reluctantly - tasked with protecting Yorick.
• Juliana Canfield (Succession) will play Beth, Yorick's girlfriend who is in Australia when the disaster strikes and is subsequently stuck there.
• Marin Ireland (Sneaky Pete) will play Nora, the US President's right-hand woman and confidante.
• Amber Tamblyn (Two-and-a-Half Men, Django Unchained) will play Mariette Callows, the daughter of the US President and a new character created for the TV series.
• Ampersand the monkey will be portrayed through the medium of CGI.

The pilot episode of the show is shooting now and, if ordered to series, will debut on FX in 2019. The current plan is for the TV series to just be named Y, apparently due to concerns over confusion with the recently-cancelled Last Man on Earth.

FX commissions Y: THE LAST MAN pilot

FX has formally commissioned a pilot episode for a TV series based on Bryan Vaughan's critically-acclaimed comic, Y: The Last Man.

After three years in development hell, the project is now moving forward at FX with Michael Green (American Gods, Logan, Blade Runner 2049) and Aida Croal (Jessica Jones) on board as producer-showrunners, with Melina Matsoukas (Master of None) set to direct the pilot.

The comic ran for 60 issues between 2002 and 2008 and told the story of Yorick Brown and his monkey companion Ampersand, the only two male mammals left in the world after an unknown virus or genetic mutation wiped out the rest of male-kind. With the human race doomed to extinction, Yorick and Ampersand quickly become the target of governments, scientific organisations and criminals looking to either reverse the crisis, continue it or profit from it.

Once the pilot has been produced, FX will decided whether to proceed to a full series, although given the credits of everyone involved (including Vaughan himself, who has spent time working on TV series such as Lost and Under the Dome) it seems reasonably likely.

Y THE LAST MAN and BATTLE ANGEL ALITA move into development

Two new screen adaptations of science fiction franchises have been announced in the last couple of days.

First up is an old project. James Cameron optioned the Battle Angel Alita manga a long, long time ago. At one stage he was torn between making a Battle Angle Alita movie or Avatar, eventually plumping for the latter. With Avatar II, III and IV likely to keep him busy for the next decade or so, he's clearly decided not to sit on the other property and has decided to produce it for another director. Robert Rodriguez will instead helm the movie for 20th Century Fox. No release date has been set, but I'd be surprised if we saw this any sooner than 3-4 years from now.

Much more imminent is an FX TV series based on Y: The Last Man. This graphic novel series about the last two surviving male mammals on the planet was a huge hit during its 60-issue run for Vertigo from 2002 to 2008. It launched the career of Brian Vaughn, who has gone on to work in television on Lost and Under the Dome before recently returning to comics with the massively successful Saga. Vaughn himself will produce and write the Y: The Last Man TV show, which he has suggested will both adapt and expand on the comics.