Syfy’s The Expanse at San Diego Comic Con

Syfy has found another hit in The Expanse. The Expanse is a science fiction, space odyssey based on a series of books by James S.A. Corey (aka two authors who write together under one pen name). The story is set hundreds of years into the future after humans have colonized other places in the solar system. Obviously some events happen that threaten Earth and the solar system (don’t worry, no spoilers for those who have not seen the show yet….go binge watch it before season 2 comes out next year!), and characters have to come together to save humanity.

The wide-range of characters goes from a police detective to a UN exec to a ship captain and everything in between. The show has a stellar cast: Thomas Jane (Joe Miller), Shohreh Aghdashloo (Chrisjen Avasarala), Wes Chatham (Amos Burton), Cas Anvar (Alex Kamal), Steven Strait (Jim Holden), Dominique Tipper (Naomi Nagata), and Frankie Adams (Bobbie Draper).

We were lucky enough to sit down with some of the cast members–and some producers–at San Diego Comic Con to chat about season 1 and what is in store for season 2.

Naren Shankar (Executive Producer) on having a book series to start from and insights into season 2: 

• “The nice thing about collapsing the story lines [is that] now we can play a lot of things in forward momentum and discovery.”
• Season 2 begins with Bobbie: “You’re meeting her in the first five seconds of the opener…because she brings a different perspective. It launches the show in a distinctive tone [and is like] a mission statement for us, starting that way in season 2.”
• Thoughts on adapting a book series: “[That is what is] great about having a book series–the world is so beautifully realized and thought through.”

Mark Fergus (Executive Producer) on season 1 versus season 2 and their cast diversity: 

• “We felt like we made a lot of promises to the audience in season 1. We set up a lot of mysteries. We lit a lot of fuses. We had a lot of characters converging…now we get to pay it off in a big way.”
• On why they don’t share the whole story in season 1: “A lot of shows want to win you over so badly that they give up their story as quickly as possible, but once you give it up, you can’t take it back.”
• Why The Expanse has such diverse casting: “[It’s] to reflect the world as it exists–and not to win points for the show.”

Thomas Jane (Joe Miller) on Miller and his journey: 

• “I think at the beginning [of season 2], yeah, he’s pretty upset about some stuff. He has a great arc in season 2.”
• Why he loves playing Miller: “We’re used to everything being easy. We’re used to being fed everything at the beginning [of a show]: here’s characters and here’s why you like them. I want challenging characters. I want to reach a little bit. I want to be introduced to characters and worlds that I am not familiar with.”

Wes Chatham (Amos Burton) on his character: 

• “Naomi showed him how to behave and how to interact. He trusts that, and he doesn’t trust a lot of things. When that relationship is challenged…he has to find out who he is without her. We explore that in season 2.”
• “Basic survival is his motivation. He is not caught up in the concept of justice or revenge. He doesn’t have [that emotional base]…I admire the fact of how little Amos cares about what other people think…I think there is a freedom in that–to be free from the need to be liked.”

Cas Anvar (Alex Kamal) on his character and diverse casting: 

• “Alex is heavily motivated by justice and is a very moral character. He is very tormented by the injustice that has happened to the Belters. And in season 2, he has to deal with the effect of having seen what happened to the Belters.”
• On Alexisms like “Donkey balls!” in season 2: “I think you’re gonna hear a lot of those!”
• “As someone who had to deal with that type casting my whole career…to be part of a show where my race and ethnicity have nothing to do with the character [is great]…It hasn’t come up once, and it is never referred to. It’s irrelevant….all of our females are all non-white females. Name one show that has nothing to do with ethnicity and where none of the females revolve around the man. The diversity on the show is not just about skin color.”

Shohreh Aghdashloo (Chrisjen Avasarala) on her character and the story: 

• “This is one of the best characters I have ever portrayed. She is so vulnerable and, at the same time, so powerful. She is a woman. She works 24/7. She has dedicated herself to her mission. And, she is determined to keep mother earth away from her enemies.”
• “[In season 2, her character gets more interesting] by not running for office.”
• “[The story] is coming from amazing novels so far. So you can imagine what the story can do for actors. It’s the story that brings us together. It’s the story that makes us look good.”

Look for season 2 of The Expanse in 2017 on the Syfy channel!