At this point in late 2016, Bryan K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra's stellar comic series Y: The Last Man has been in development for live-action for longer than its issues were produced. Last year saw a huge update for the long-gestating sci-fi-leaning adventure when it was announced FX was greasing the wheel for a TV version, and now the next big step has been taken with the acquisition of screenwriter Michael Green as Y: The Last Man's showrunner. Now let's set our alarms for a year from now when we might hear about a series order.
Just kidding. I can't possibly be snarky about any good news granted to Y: The Last Man, which is one of the best standalone comic series of all time, and Michael Green has quite a bit of experience when it comes to comic book adaptations. He got his first big break as a writer and producer on the pre-Superman series Smallville, co-wrote 2011's Green Lantern (and a segment on the direct-to-DVD Green Lantern: Emerald Knights feature), and co-wrote the script for the upcoming Wolverine-wrapping feature Logan. To shout out a couple more of his recent efforts, Green is currently Bryan Fuller's co-showrunner on Starz's upcoming adaptation of American Gods, and he also took part in the screenwriting on the upcoming sequels Alien: Covenant and Blade Runner 2049, as well as the Murder on the Orient Express remake.
While your mileage may vary for any or all of the above-mentioned projects, there's no denying that Michael Green has the experience and the knowledge when it comes to bringing a difficult-to-adapt narrative to live-action. According to THR, he will co-write the script for Y: The Last Man alongside Bryan K. Vaughan, whose TV work includes Lost, Under the Dome and the upcoming series Runaways, which is also based on a series he created.
Y: The Last Man is quite unique in its aesthetic, or at least it was before Last Man on Earth started up on Fox. It tells the tale of Yorik Brown (and his monkey Ampersand) as he tries to make sense of a world where everything with a Y chromosome dies all at once, leaving only women to take on the restructuring of civilization. The gender divide provides a multitude of situations that comment on the real world, and we can certainly expect that to be built on if it makes it to FX proper.
Fans know to be wary of this good news, however, since [big problems][1] always seem to hit Y: The Last Man. And the caveat here involves Michael Green hopping onto this project while still involved with American Gods, which is close to the same occupational situation that recently caused Bryan Fuller to step down as showrunner on the upcoming Star Trek: Discovery series for CBS All Access. There are differences, of course, most notably in the scheduling, since Y: The Last Man is in early development while Star Trek Discovery was awaiting its actual production. So let's hope the timing is enough to keep this project on track.
[1]: http://www.cinemablend.com/news/544089/Y-Last-Man-Adaptation-Just-Ran-Some-Huge-Problems http://www.cinemablend.com/television/1578209/star-trek-discovery-just-made-a-huge-change-behind-the-scenes
FX currently has another high-energy comic adaptation coming, with the X-Men-tied Legion kicking off in February from Fargo creator Noah Hawley. If this is indeed the network that pulls off an actual Y: The Last Man adaptation, then someone will have to pry me off of the ceiling so that I can watch it. Head to our fall premiere schedule and our midseason debut schedule to see what definitely is coming to the small screen in the near future.
