By Kayla DeKraker
A new S.W.A.T spinoff called EXILES is in the works, although which actors from the original show will and won’t be a part of it remains uncertain.
So far Shemar Moore is the only confirmed returning star, and other former cast members seem confused about the announcement and why they weren’t called back.
Jay Harrington, who played Sgt. David “Deacon” Kay, and David Lim, who played Officer Victor Tan, said the news “stung.”
“There is a S.W.A.T family and that family is important,” Sony Pictures Television Chairman Keith LeGoy reassured, saying there’s still a chance other former members could return. “We would love to have other family members involved in some way, whether it’s all of them all of the time, some of them some of the time, or something in between. That’s something that we are still figuring out.”
LeGoy added that although Sony could sell the series to other streamers, they “believe in” their capabilities.
“Is there risk? Yes,” he said at the Banff World Media Festival. “Did we acknowledge that risk and then kind of embrace it? Yeah.”
He noted that “risk” is part of the industry.
“This business was founded 100 and something years ago, on people taking risks on their creative judgment, and on their kind of ability to finance their creative vision in whatever way,” LeGoy said. “…But to be honest, we’re much more excited by the opportunity than we are scared of the risk.”
S.W.A.T concluded its final season in March after eight seasons.
“It felt very clear from CBS that this was the end,” Katherine Pope of Sony Pictures TV Studios commented. “It was a difficult decision for them, but it felt very final. So we set out to sell the show elsewhere. We tried really hard, and we felt like we got close at a place or two, but we just couldn’t quite get it over the line.”
Though fans and cast members alike were disappointed in S.W.A.T.’s cancelation, EXILES seems like a good compromise.
Pope noted, “It was something that we had talked about a couple of years now.”
Moore said, “My eight seasons on S.W.A.T. have been epic and memorable. We entertained the world, defied the odds, came back from the dead twice, and continued to woo fans and families worldwide. I am excited for this next generation and iteration of S.W.A.T. with Sony.”
It has yet to be announced when EXILES will premiere, so stay tuned for more updates.
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