Sons of Anarchy Creator Weighs in on Interest in a Comic Book Project, Praises Joker and Pennyworth

Comic book movie fans frequently find themselves asking Hollywood creatives that aren’t involved in those projects what they think of them. Today’s is none other than Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter (who previously wrote and developed a sequel to Thomas Jane’s 2004 The Punisher that was scrapped), who was asked about his feelings on comic book movies in an Instagram AMA. Sutter offered praise for both Marvel and DC in his answer, saying that it all comes down to the script for the movies. In the end though, the TV writer had high praise for last year’s Joker starring Joaquin Phoenix and the Alfred prequel series Pennyworth.

“It all depends on the script,” Sutter wrote. “Marvel has carved out a very successful model. They throw equal amounts of money and talent at an IP. I’ve enjoyed most of them. I also think DC is catching up. Obviously, “The Joker” was magic. But if you haven’t watched “Pennyworth” on Epix you’re missing one of the best origin stories ever told. heller and Canon weave a tight, dark, quirky story about the beginnings of Alfred and the Waynes. And Jack Bannon is thrill to watch. give it a go.”

Sutter had previously been involved in some form with a television series on FX since 2002, working on crime dramas The Shield and Sons of Anarchy, plus the historical drama The Bastard Executioner. The Emmy nominated writer would go on to co-create the Sons of Anarchy spin-off Mayans M.C. and was fired from the series ahead of the season 2 finale of the series last year.

At the time the reason cited was Sutter’s abrasive behavior on the set and issues caused by his distance from the filming portion of the season. If you ask Sutter, FX owner Disney had it out for him since the House of Mouse took Fox over. Either way, Sutter is now looking ahead to his next project, the first one away from FX.

Season 2 of Pennyworth began production earlier this year but was seemingly shut down as a result of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, making its 2020 return on television unlikely. The future of the Joker in live-action is a big question mark at the time as well. The Todd Phillips directed Joker went on to become one of the biggest movies of 2019, bringing in over $1 billion at the worldwide box office and nabbing Phoenix the Best Actor Oscar at this year’s Academy Awards. While the film was crafted under the notion of it being a standalone adventure, Phillips previously revealed he and Phoenix aren’t ruling out a follow-up film but it’s unconfirmed if a sequel will ever see the light of days.