Thomas Jane has returned to The Expanse yet again for season 5, albeit this time in a capacity very different from his previous roles. Created by Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, The Expanse is a sci-fi epic TV adaptation of James S.A. Corey's eponymous novel series that follows a disparate group of antiheroes - UN Deputy Undersecretary Chrisjen Avasarala (Shohreh Aghdashloo), Rocinante officer James Holden (Steven Strait), and his crew - as they encounter a universe-threatening conspiracy during their journey across a human-colonized solar system in the near future. The Expanse began airing on Syfy in 2015 before switching over to Amazon for season 4. Currently, the series' fifth season is underway on the streaming service and the show is due to conclude with its next season 6.
When The Expanse first debuted its freshman run on Syfy, it featured Thomas Jane as the main, grizzled detective Josephus "Joe" Aloisus Miller. During season 1, Jane's Miller stumbles upon the protomolecule, which helps accelerate the story's core narrative. Unfortunately, in season 2, Miller is killed during Eros' crash into Venus, but he later reappears as a manifestation of the protomolecule which is only visible to Steven Strait's James Holden. But in season 4, that version of Miller also meets its end when Holden uses a black-hole-like-bomb on Ilus to destroy the protomolecule. While Miller's arc mostly wrapped up in season 4, Jane, however, is not done with The Expanse yet, as he has returned to the show in a creative role for season 5.
In season 5, Jane returned to direct an episode on The Expanse. He helmed the third episode of the season, "Mother", which debuted on Amazon Prime on Dec. 16 along with the first two episodes of season 5. While talking about his experience directing the episode, Jane exclaimed that it was quite fulfilling due to his previous association with the show. In terms of logistics, however, the several moving parts on the sets posed a great challenge to Jane in his TV directing debut.
"I had the experience of a lifetime directing The Expanse. It is not an easy show. There are a lot of moving parts, and what makes it beautiful is not only did I know the whole cast and crew for over the four or five years that we've all been working together, I was immersed in the mythologies of lore and the story."
In order to get his former colleagues to listen to him, the Predator star donned a director's hat at all times on the set. He also made sure that everyone was comfortable with his new role, and that if anyone had a problem, he was there to solve it. While he was directing "Mother", Jane encountered a major hurdle trying to film a scene involving a train. But he was able to overcome the obstacle through his wit, and by ensuring everyone that he had a plan. Jane calls "Mother" a true test of his versatility as a director. The episode involved a lot of intricate, emotional scenes. Yet, Jane was able to counsel all the actors into delivering their best performances.
As reflected by The Expanse season 5 episode 3's rave reviews and overwhelming approval ratings on various review aggregators, it is safe to say that Jane's TV directorial debut was a massive success. "Mother" boasted tons of quality action and conversations, and the emotional scenes and character beats in the episode were also executed seamlessly. Jane, after all, has been a part of The Expanse family since the very beginning, thus it is only natural for him to be comfortable with the product and to be aware of the direction that the narrative needs to take. Hopefully, the makers can convince Jane into directing another episode for The Expanse before it bows out with its final season 6.