Geeks logo

'Y: The Last Man' TV Preview 2019

Alas, Poor Yorick...

By Neil GregoryPublished 6 years ago 3 min read
Like
A man and his monkey

The comic book craze continues with Brian K Vaughan's Y: The Last Man headed to our screens sometime in 2019.

Y: The Last Man is a post-apocalyptic tale of gender, race, class, and survival; when a disease wipes out almost every living creature with a Y chromosome, only slacker Yorick Brown and his pet monkey Ampersand survive the global pandemic.

Yorick only wants to get to his girlfriend Beth who is working in Australia; of course, the downfall of society hampers his plans and as the story progresses Yorick encounters different parties who all covet him for varying reasons.

Without getting into plot points and spoilers, suffice to say Y: The Last Man is classic comic book and a high point of the genre. I first read it directly after reading Garth Ennis's Preacher and it easily lived up to the high-water mark of Preacher.

It was at times thrilling, funny, tragic, and everything you wanted from a post apocalyptic story. Too many of these stories are sombre and depressing (Walking Dead, I'm looking at you), but it was Y's heart and comedy that made it great.

It sounds like a teenager's dream, the only man left in a world full of women, but as the story develops, the audience and Yorick both realise there are major flaws with one man's utopia.

For years, networks have been trying to get adaptations of Y onto TV or the cinema and finally FX have taken the plunge.

Michael Green (American Gods, Blade Runner 2049, Logan) & Aida Mashaka Croal (Luke Cage, Turn) are onboard as show runners, with original writer Brian K. Vaughan involved as an executive producer.

Casting has been announced for four of the lead characters and signs look promising.

Barry Keoghan as Yorick

Young Irish actor Barry Keoghan is Yorick, and while not a big name yet, he has steadily worked throughout his formative years breaking through with his fantastic performance in Yorgos Lanthimos's The Killing of a Sacred Deer. Judging from the comparison above, visually the casting looks spot on.

Diane Lane as Senator Jennifer Brown

A great choice in any project, Diane Lane plays Yorick's mother Senator Jennifer Brown, who after the epidemic finds herself in a position of unexpected power. After recently appearing as Martha Kent in the DC Universe, this role should give Lane a much more well-rounded character.

Imogen Poots as Hero Brown

Poots is a young actress who has already workedsolidly in many TV shows and movies already from some fantastic work like Green Room & I Kill Giants to token roles in films such as Need for Speed. It was her performance in Jeremy Saulnier's Green Room that really grabbed my attention and the transformation her character goes through that really showed her range.

As Yorick's older sister Hero, this could be a defining role for Poots as the character has an amazing arc throughout the story of Y.

Lashana Lynch as Agent 355

Young British actress Lashana Lynch is on the cusp of great things; after beginning her career in various British TV soap operas and dramas she landed the lead role on ABC's Still Star Crossed last year. While the show was quickly cancelled, it raised Lynch's profile enough for her to gain an unknown role in next year's Captain Marvel and also the role of 'Agent 355' in Y. 'Agent 355' as Yorick's bodyguard will definitely be a change of pace from her previous roles.

So, the creative team is in place and the key cast confirmed. An actual start date for next year has not been confirmed yet, but I'd hazard a guess we are looking at next fall for the premiere.

There is a large amount of source material for the show runners to draw on and it could easily run for six seasons.

tv
Like

About the Creator

Neil Gregory

Film and TV obsessive / World Traveller / Gamer / Camerman & Editor / Guitarist

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.