Though the motor has been running for a while now on the in-the-works Sons of Anarchy spinoff titled Mayans MC, barely any official information has been revealed about the project, and even when it seemed like news had surfaced in the past, nothing was confirmed. That all changed today, though, as the first official cast member for the Sons of Anarchy: Mayans MC pilot was announced, and it's none other than Battlestar Galactica vet Edward James Olmos. Getting this actor in a Kurt Sutter-sponsored universe can only mean good things.
Thankfully, Edward James Olmos didn't join the Sons of Anarchy spinoff under a cloak of full secrecy and misdirection. The Mayans MC narrative centers on a prospect named EZ Reyes, who hopes to rise in the ranks of the Mayan MC charter stationed on the border between California and Mexico. As you might have expected, the 69-year-old Olmos won't be one of EZ's fellow prospects, but rather the vengeful young man's father, Felipe. He'll be a father that definitely knows about a life of crime and brotherhood, however, and he'll be aiming to keep all of his sons away from that (mister) mayhem and focused on reaching a more virtuous and law-abiding station of life. I can't help but feel like he won't be completely successful.
In his arduous and challenging past, Felipe was on the receiving end of more than a couple of on-target gunshots, among other troubles. And according to TVLine, he'll aim to keep that past far behind him, which can only mean that it will eventually catch back up to him, and probably while riding a sweet-ass motorcycle. The biggest question we have now: mustache or no mustache?
Does Felipe Reyes rock a smooth-shaven face as an older man who wants to appear as clean and presentable as possible, to not only move beyond his past but also to set an example for his offspring? I'm also interested in how he's going to rock the hair atop his scalp, but we'll just stick with the facial follicles for now.
Second option: Edward James Olmos will rock his mighty mustache, as so many Sons of Anarchy characters have done before, such as Ron Perlman's Clay Morrow, Kim Coates' Tig Traeger, Charlie Hunnam's Jax Teller, and so on. Basically everyone but Unser and Venus Van Damme. I'm hoping he goes this route, which is with the assumption that FX will end up ordering Mayans MC to series after the pilot gets its production completed, leading to audiences actually seeing what Felipe Reyes looks like.
While sci-fi fans in particular love Edward James Olmos for Battlestar Galactica (and Blade Runner), TV viewers have been following the actor across dozens of projects going back to the 1970s. He was on the good side of the law in the 1980s as Lt. Martin Castillo on all five seasons of Miami Vice, and was also relatively recently one of the good guys in a recurring stint on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in Season 2. (Not so kind-hearted in Dexter, though.) We can't wait to see how things play out when he joins Sons of Anarchy's universe.
While waiting to hear more about Sons of Anarchy's spinoff (and possible prequel), head to our midseason premiere schedule to see what's coming soon to the small screen.
