A conversation with the core cast, executive producer and authors of The expanse at New York Comic Con.
NEW YORK COMIC CON—When The expanse was announced by Syfy as a television program adapted from the book series (there were five in the series at the time), the news was received with some excitement, along with a dose of skepticism.
The expanse has taken humanity’s route to space in a gritty, dirty, primal story with nuanced, no-nonsense characters. The production uses huge hands-on sets and newly invented languages. Show creator Mark Fergus and his team knew the program was going to be something special when it first appeared on Syfy in 2015. Season one indeed emerged as a phenomenon for Syfy, and season two is now one of the most highly anticipated program returns in 2017.
We sat down with Fergus, the protagonists, and Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck (who co-wrote the Hugo award-winning book series under the name James SA Corey) at New York Comic Con to talk about the next season and how the series will follow and differ from the books. said Abraham The expanse was born from an RPG designed by Franck – Abraham was the only one in the group who felt they should write a book on the subject (another member of the group happened to be George RR Martin). They agreed that if Martin had decided to write the story, it would have turned out something completely different.
The duo described the daunting task of adapting a book series into a TV show, but also revealed that being able to play with time and other aspects of the story, such as when characters and relationships are introduced, is a liberating experience. and do not stick rigidly. to the timeline of the books.
The group has dropped some hints for season two, which introduces one of the prominent characters in the book, Bobbie Draper (a Martian), who we didn’t develop until the end of the second book. She will be with the show from the beginning of season two. Steven Strait (who plays the ship’s reluctant leader Jim Holden) said his character will continue his obsession with what the crew discovered. That crew will still be haunted by the events they witnessed on Eros. He used the analogy of Moby Dicks “Ahab hunts the white whale”, an obsession that could lead to his downfall.
Dominique Tipper, who plays engineer Naomi Nagata, said her character will at some point leave the crew and go off on her own, culminating in a “shocking ending” (and an impromptu lasagna scene?). Wes Chatham, who plays her tough and aloof companion Amos, will have to struggle with his time without her. Alex, the pilot played by Cas Anvar, has the essential role of keeping this small group of ragtags together and growing out of his initial isolation as a mere “ice cream truck driver” when he was introduced. Miller’s character, played by Thomas Jane, has also become the fifth member of the crew, bringing with him all of his flawed, black baggage.
The sixth entry The expanse book series, Babylon’s ashes, will be released on December 6, and the authors began work on book seven while working on season two of the show. Trying to keep the storylines separate is a job best left to the experts. The Expanse season two will premiere on the Syfy channel in January 2017.
Frame image by Jennifer Hahn