While it may very well end in his character’s death, be it by show cancellation or violent on-screen fate, at the end of the day more Sean Bean is always good. It really is though. No matter what he’s involved with, no matter how large or small his part, Bean very obviously gives his all and does the very best he can.
The fact that TNT’s potential new series “Legends” was once set to star Brendan Fraser doesn’t exactly inspire confidence, but that they’ve upgraded to Sean Bean might bode well (or at least better) regarding it’s chance of becoming more than just a pilot. The series, also once set to be on NBC, comes from “Homeland” Executive Producer Howard Gordon and “follows deep-cover operative Martin Odum (Bean), who has an uncanny ability to transform himself into a different person for each job. But his own identity comes into question when a mysterious stranger suggests that Martin isn’t who he thinks he is.” Gordon developed the series alongside Jeffrey Nachmanoff (TRAITOR), Alexander Cary (“Homeland”) and Jonathan Levin (“Charmed”) based on the spy thriller novel by Robert Little of the same name. I’m especially encouraged by Nachmanoff’s presence, as his film TRAITOR was a solid piece that dealt well with the contemporary world of espionage, as well as the real dangers and moral dilemmas presented by a world drawn more and more in shades of grey.
David Semel (“Hemlock Grove”, “CSI”, “American Horror Story: Asylum”) will direct and Executive Produce the pilot – having alos directed the pilot for “Person of Interest”, Semel certainly has some experience helping to shepherd a project forward. So here’s to hoping lightning strikes twice and we get to see plenty more of Sean Bean on the small screen in the near future. But what do you think? What does “Legends” need to do in order to differentiate itself?