Is there any hope for Into The Badlands spinoff moving forwards? The last decade or so has an increase in live-action TV shows incorporating elaborate martial arts action sequences, including Wu Assassins and Cobra Kai. One of the best-received action shows of recent years is AMC's Into The Badlands, which blended a fleshed-out, post-apocalyptic world with some incredibly well-choreographed fight scenes.
The cast of Into The Badlands is led by Daniel Wu, who is also a skilled martial artist. This certainly translates onscreen, with Wu's character Sunny being capable of some jaw-dropping physical feats. Outside of the action, Into The Badlands itself was just a great show with complex characters, thoughtful themes and inventive production design. The AMC series earned a real cult following, but sadly, it was canceled following the third season due to slipping ratings.
Had it gotten greenlit, Into The Badlands season 4 would have picked up from the third season's game-changing final scene. Creators Al Gough and Miles Millar knew the show was being canceled and instead pitched the network on a spinoff, but will it actually happen?
Into The Badlands' Spinoff Was Inspired By Deadwood
According to Gough and Millar, Into The Badlands untitled spinoff would have picked up roughly 20 years on from season 3, and followed Sunny's son and the Widow's daughter. Into The Badlands season 3 finale reintroduced guns into the world, and the series would follow the duo surviving in a world with firearms.
The spinoff also would have helped keep the story on a budget, with most of the action centering around a small town. The creators compared the tone to something like Deadwood, and Nick Frost's Bajie from Into The Badlands would have returned as both sheriff to the town and mentor to the main characters.
AMC Rejected Into The Badlands Spinoff Pitch
While the spinoff sounds like a natural extension of Into The Badlands world that would have combined kung fu with gunplay, AMC didn't go for it. Since the show ended in 2019, the creators have mentioned possible continuations in different mediums, including a graphic novel.
Into The Badlands Spinoff Probably Won't Happen
Into The Badlands spinoff is ripe with potential, but there has been little sign of AMC or another network either picking it up. Given the fandom that surrounds Into The Badlands it feels inevitable it will continue in some form, be it a new season or the aforementioned graphic novel. The spinoff concept sounds like a more budget-friendly approach to a TV continuation, but a further adventure bringing back Sunny would be the more likely path to the show returning.