It was Starz’s turn yesterday at the Television Critics Association press tour where a number of updates were given in regards to their shows either on the air or in development.
First up, the “John Wick” spin-off series “The Continental” is going to be quite some time away. Starz COO Jeffrey Hirsch was asked if the show would arrive before the fourth film’s scheduled release in May 2021 to which he answered it was unlikely: “My sense is that where we are today, the movie date has been set but we’re still in early development on the series so [it will air] most likely after.”
The network’s time-spanning romance drama “Outlander” won’t return until early 2020. That’s in line with previous seasons which have generally arrived 14-17 months after the previous one – the fourth season aired in November last year. “Outlander” began production on its fifth season two months ago.
The network isn’t letting “Power” just disappear into the night with its sixth and final season. The first ten episodes of the crime drama’s last bow will air starting on August 25th, and the remainder will kick off in January next year. Co-showrunner Courtney A. Kemp also revealed that several prequel series are in the works with the first, titled “Power: Book 2 – Ghost” to feature actress Mary J. Blige and to continue the journey of some of the more controversial characters in the show.
Next, Starz has committed to an eight-episode season of “Dangerous Liaisons” based on the famed Pierre Choderlos de Laclos-penned 18th century French novel. This adaptation, however, will tell the origin story of Merteuil and Valmont – exploring their early years and when they meet as passionate young lovers in the slums of Paris.
They’re also backing “Leavenworth,” a Steven Soderbergh executive produced true-crime doc series about the military justice system. Paul Pawlowski (“Aziz Ansari: Buried Alive”) and David Check (“The Franchise”) will also produce the series which will premiere on the channel on October 20th. The series is a first-hand account of a soldier navigating the US Army’s legal system as he seeks to overturn his conviction for a murder whilst deployed in Afghanistan.
Finally, a renewal order has been handed out for “The Girlfriend Experience” for a third season and this time it’s set in the London tech scene where a young female neuroscientist begins to explore the transactional sex world. At the same time, Gregg Araki’s trippy “Now Apocalypse” has been cancelled after one season, the show neither doing well with ratings or critics.
Source: TV Line
