Jupiter's Legacy star, Josh Duhamel, has opened up about his feelings on the show's cancellation and whether he will ever portray The Utopian again. Jupiter's Legacy premiered on Netflix on May 7th and was expected to run for several seasons to kickstart Netflix's foray into Millarworld. However, the series was cancelled after just one season, leaving fans both disappointed and mystified at the show's quick end.
Reasons for the cancellation are dubious, though many suspect that Jupiter's Legacy's original tiny budget and behind-the-scenes drama left the show doomed from the start. The show suffered from repeatedly exceeding budget, disagreements on how to develop the show, crew departures, and executive shake-ups. Sadly, the first season's purpose was to set up season 2 by providing the origin story of the show's superheroes and revealing how their Union is slowly crumbling in the present day. Thus, with season 2 in mind, season 1 ended on a cliffhanger, making its cancellation all the more disappointing.
Speaking to CinemaBlend, Duhamel shared his disappointment over Jupiter's Legacy's cancellation and his uncertainty about The Utopian's return. Duhamel doesn't know the exact reason why the show was cancelled and believes that he and the cast created a great show. Despite his disappointment, he is grateful for the experience and acknowledges that this hurdle is simply part of the business he's in. He doesn't know if he will ever play The Utopian again, although he would love for there to be a Jupiter's Legacy feature that wraps up the loose ends of season 1. Check out his statement below:
You know, it’s just disappointing, I’m not gonna lie. We all worked very hard on that and promoted it very hard and thought we made a really good show, and I think [with] the audience, it performs so well and continues to do really well. We were a little bit surprised by it not getting renewed. For me, I never saw it going more than two or three seasons because that would have fulfilled whatever graphic novels were written for it. And that second season was going to be so much fun because it had the makings of this modern tragedy where some pretty dark stuff happens to The Utopian. And I was excited creatively to do that. I’m not sure the reasoning for it. I’m grateful for the opportunity to have done it, and I think we all did a really good job on it. But this is the way of the business, you take your lumps. I don’t know if we’re ever going to see him [The Utopian] again. Though it sure would have been fun to do that second season. I think they should do a feature, just encapsulating what would have happened in the second season. Not do the full season, but just a feature. . . . I don’t know if they’ll do it or not, but all those costumes are ready to go. And they weren’t cheap, I’ll tell you that much.
Duhamel's idea for a Jupiter's Legacy feature is intriguing. He doesn't see the show returning in an episodic form, but as one long feature. Despite its cancellation, many have speculated on if the show's story and characters will continue in some form in other Millarworld productions. There have already been some hints that Jupiter's Legacy characters may return in Supercrooks, though it has not been confirmed. However, Duhamel definitely makes some great points about potentially doing a feature instead as it will tie up loose ends, give some closure to the cast and crew, and ensure those pricey costumes don't go to waste.
Duhamel's thoughts give us an inside look on what it is like for the cast members of a cancelled show. While the show certainly did have some shortcomings in its storytelling method and clumsy transitions between time periods, it still boasted powerful performances from many of the actors. It is especially unfortunate that the issues that plagued the show seemed to have been out of the control of the actors. However, Duhamel is taking it in stride, gracefully accepting both the highs and lows of the business he's in. He has found contentment in the fact that the cast of Jupiter's Legacy did a fantastic job and is leaving himself open to the possibility of the show's continuation in some form in the future. Fans certainly hope to see Duhamel as The Utopian again someday and that he and the rest of the cast continue to find closure after the show's sudden cancellation.
Source: CinemaBlend