‘Sons Of Anarchy’ Creator Kurt Sutter Talks Prequel, Charlie Hunnam and ‘The Bastard Executioner’
Sons of Anarchy, with all its violence and chaos, was a show that really took Kurt Sutter’s career to a new level. With his newest series, The Bastard Executioner, now underway, Sutter recently sat down with Deadline and discussed his new series, wrapping things up with Charlie Hunnam, and a possible Sons of Anarchy prequel.
Although The Bastard Executioner and Sons of Anarchy share similar themes, including plenty of violence, bloodshed, and a conflicting hero, his newest series is set in a time period vastly different from anything Sutter’s done. With that in mind, Sutter revealed that his admiration of history was something that drew him to the story.
“I love history and I think it’s why I love writing such in-depth mythologies… That period, most of the skill work was done by journeymen, including blacksmiths… For the most part, you really had to travel from village to village to make a living. That included the executioners. I wanted that as a way into the series but I wanted it more complicated so it didn’t have to just be about being born into being an executioner…”
Although he’s fully immersed in his new series, Sutter also talked about the end of Sons of Anarchy and how he and Hunnam were able to get closure following the epic season 7 finale.
“I took my characters on the journey I really wanted to take them, and that’s a rare thing for a writer. I love my cast. One of the cool things about being out in London is, I got to hang with Charlie Hunnam a lot. It was really difficult for us to process what was going on while it was going on, but hanging out a few months later allowed us to.”
Regarding a prequel to Sons, Sutter revealed that plans are in the works for a short series that would focus on the original members of the biker club.
“At some point I do have plans to hopefully do the prequel, which I do see as a one-off 10- or 12-episode thing where we begin in Nam and see John Teller and Piney and see how that relationship got created.”
In addition to the prequel, Sutter also has plans to do something with the Mayans, a Sons of Anarchy spin-off of sorts. “…I’d be open to doing something with the Mayans. It’s the same [biker] subculture, but it’d be interesting to see the influences of that culture and how it impacts the subculture we already understand. I would do a contemporary piece, not a prequel, and place it far enough away from Northern California that it wouldn’t step on the mythology that’s already been told.”
Tell us! Are you loving The Bastard Executioner? Are you looking forward to the Sons of Anarchy prequel or the Mayans spin-off? Let us know in the comments below.
[Image Courtesy: Kevin Winter/Getty]
