John Fawcett, original co-creator of the hit sci-fi drama Orphan Black, suggests the upcoming spinoff Orphan Black: Echoes will be a very different show. Running for five seasons between 2013 and 2017, the original Orphan Black starred She-Hulk: Attorney At Law’s Tatiana Maslany as multiple human clones who were all created as part of clandestine genetic experiments. Now, Orphan Black: Echoes, is set to pick up a new story set in the same world as the original show, with Jessica Jones’ Krysten Ritter assuming the lead role.
Fawcett, who serves as an episode director and executive producer on the new series, spoke with RadioTimes.com about what sets it apart from its progenitor. Suggesting that viewers who go in expecting a rehash of the original show will be disappointed, he explains the new series has its own distinct feel and identity. Check out his comments below:
The spin-off is a very different show. If you go with the expectation that you're going to see Orphan Black, you're going to probably be disappointed. It's got its own feel, it's got its own identity. What makes it Orphan Black, there's a bit of a slow burn to it. I think it'll be exciting for fans to discover.
No one can do better than Tatiana [Maslany]. You're setting the bar very high. When we were talking about what the spin-off would be, it was like, well, let's come up with a concept that works in the Orphan Black world but isn't necessarily just an Orphan Black – a clone of Orphan Black, so to speak.
What We Know About Orphan Black: Echoes
Expected to arrive on AMC sometime later this year, Orphan Black: Echoes is set in the near future and will explore the impact of scientific experimentation and the manipulation of human existence. Ritter is set to star as a character known only as Lucy, a woman searching for her place in the world when she seemingly finds herself embroiled in another underground experiment. Joining Ritter is Bodyguard star Keeley Hawes, as a currently unnamed scientist central to the unfolding drama.
What is unclear is whether human cloning will feature in the story and if Ritter is destined to play multiple characters, much like Maslany did in the original Orphan Black. If Fawcett’s comments are any indication, it is entirely probable that this new show will avoid the presence of clones altogether. Instead, the scientific experiments at the heart of Orphan Black: Echoes could have an entirely different purpose and effect on the narrative.
Meanwhile, there is also no indication whether any of the original show’s cast members could possibly appear in the new spinoff. However, Killjoys actor Jaeden Noel is being credited as playing a character named Lucas Manning, which could indicate a possible connection to Maslany’s main clone character Sarah Manning. However it turns out, it will be interesting to see if Ritter and the rest of the Orphan Black: Echoes cast can replicate the sort of popular and critical acclaim the original show garnered.
Source: RadioTimes.com