Doctor Who’s James Hawes to take over as new director of Snowpiercer series

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Update: A little over a week after Scott Derrickson announced that he wouldn't return for the "extreme" reshoots on the Snowpiercer TV series comes the news that James Hawes will replace him. Variety reports that Hawes will not only oversee the reshoots on the pilot episode, but will also serve as director and co-executive producer on the rest of the series. James Hawes has directed episodes of Doctor Who, Merlin, Black Mirror, Penny Dreadful, and The Alienist.

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The ongoing drama over the production on TNT's television adaptation of Joon-ho Bong‘s SNOWPIERCER continues as director Scott Derrickson has exited the series after the new show-runner has dramatically altered the vision for the show. Ruh oh. TNT officially gave the series a 10-episode order earlier this year with Scott Derrickson (DOCTOR STRANGE) set to helm the pilot from a script by show-runner Josh Friedman (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles). Unfortunately, TNT and Friedman then parted ways over "creative differences," but Friedman took to Twitter to state that he had been fired because the network didn't believe that he'd be "compliant." Graeme Manson (Orphan Black) was then brought in to be the new show-runner, and Friedman blasted Manson for not reaching out

If you're asked to rewrite someone or take over their show it seems like good sense and good karma to reach out to that person first and a) find out what the circumstances of their departure are and b) thank them for doing the work you'll be profiting from. You should buy that person a nice meal or a bottle of alcohol if they're up for it. Your money was earmarked for them at one time. And more than likely, what may be a good job for you was a passion project for them. Put another way: if you were to take over a show I'd originated and worked on for two years and didn't reach out to me before taking the job you're either an idiot, a coward, or a vichy motherf**ker.

It seems that Scott Derrickson had his own issues with Graeme Manson as he's elected to step away from Snowpiercer rather than direct the "extreme" reshoots which Manson has planned.

Well, that certainly isn't the best press for a series which hasn't even arrived yet. It remains to be seen just how "radically different" these new changes to the Snowpiercer TV will be, but we can probably assume that Scott Derrickson and Josh Friedman won't be watching. Snowpiercer stars Jennifer Connelly as Melanie Cavill, an important first-class passenger and leader who is fascinated by the less fortunate riders on the train. Daveed Diggs, Mickey Sumner, Susan Park, Benjamin Haigh, Sasha Frolova, Katie McGuinness, Alison Wright, Annalise Basso, Sam Otto, Roberto Urbina, Sheila Vand, and Lena Hall also star in the series.