AMC Scraps Two Highly-Anticipated Television Series
Two of AMC's television projects have been cancelled before they can even premiere. On Thursday, a report from Variety revealed that the network is no longer moving forward with the second season of 61st Street, or the first season of Invitation to a Bonfire. 61st Street had already filmed the entirety of its second season, while four of the six episodes of Invitation to a Bonfire had been shot before this decision was made.
According to reports, the decision was made as part of larger cost-cutting initiatives at AMC — but unlike similar cancellations being made by Warner Bros. Discovery, there is a chance that both series could be revived elsewhere. AMC's newest SEC filing, which outlines its $475 million in recent write-downs, "The Company may realize some future licensing and other revenue associated with some of the owned titles."
What is Invitation to a Bonfire about?
Invitation to a Bonfire is a six-episode psychological thriller set in the 1930s at an all-girls boarding school in New Jersey, and stars Tatiana Maslany (She-Hulk: Attorney at Law), Freya Mavor (Skins), Pilou Asbæk (Game of Thrones, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom) and Ngozi Anyanwu (The Deuce). It is an adaptation of Adrienne Celt's novel of the same name.
From creator, showrunner and executive producer Rachel Caris Love (Physical), Invitation to a Bonfire is inspired by Vladimir and Vera Nabokov's co-dependent marriage, and follows Zoya (Mavor), a young Russian immigrant and groundskeeper, who is drawn into a lethal love triangle with the school's newest faculty member (Asbæk) – an enigmatic novelist – and his bewitching wife (Maslany).
What is 61st Street about?
Originally billed as a two-season even series when it was picked up by AMC in 2019, 61st Street follows Moses Johnson, a promising, black high school athlete who is swept up into the infamously corrupt Chicago criminal justice system. Taken by the police as a supposed gang member, Johnson finds himself and his lawyer Franklin Roberts in the eye of the storm as police and prosecutors seek revenge for the death of an officer during a drug bust gone wrong.
The series was created by Peter Moffat, and starred Courtney B. Vance, Tosin Cole, and Aunjanue Ellis. Vance also executive produced, as did Michael B. Jordan.
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