Snowpiercer loses its showrunner Josh Friedman
Thanks to the pilot directed by Scott Derrickson and written by Josh Friedman, Snowpiercer was being developed as a TV show. However, Friedman has now left his position as the showrunner.
Jacques Lob and Jean-Marc Rochette’s French graphic novel, Le Transperceneige was successfully adapted by Bong Joon-ho in 2013. Fast forward to 2018 and a TV adaptation of Snowpiercer was greenlit by TNT, in collaboration with Studio T and Tomorrow Studios. However, the development process has hit a roadblock since show-runner Josh Friedman has departed from the show.
In 2016, TNT had approached Tomorrow Studios’ Marty Aldenstein for a pilot. Soon after that, Scott Derrickson (Doctor Strange) was tapped in for directing and Josh Friedman (War of the Worlds) for writing. As the pilot was well-received, the series was picked up by TNT to be developed as a 10-episode TV series. However, Variety now reports that Friedman has departed from the project citing creative differences.
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Josh Friedman’s exit from Snowpiercer is similar to the recent departure of Bryan Fuller from Star Trek: Discovery & American Gods due to disagreements on budget and plot-based alterations. However, the IP isn’t stranger to studio meddling since Joon-ho’s movie had witnessed a similar ordeal before its release. So, despite such a bumpy ride, if Snowpiercer survived the trainwreck (pun intended) it could’ve been, the show has a lot of time to pull itself together as well.
Will Josh Friedman’s departure hamper Snowpiercer?
Josh Friedman has spent a considerable amount of time in the TV business and has shows like The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Emerald City under his belt. However, it should be noted that those shows never made it past the second season. Although Friedman’s sci-fi experience, due to his work in Steven Spielberg’s War of the Worlds will be missed, but as Snowpiercer‘s story deserves to be told over multiple seasons, his retirement from the project might’ve been a necessary evil.
Snowpiercer has illustrious directors like Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho attached to it as executive producers. Considering how they’re master storytellers themselves, there’s a possibility that they can step in to show-run Snowpiercer. Because Joon-ho has already garnered critical acclaim with the graphic novel’s cinematic adaptation, it’ll be fitting if he does the same for the show.
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In addition to that, as Scott Derrickson had directed the pilot and was excited after it got green-lit, the studios can persuade him to take charge. As the director is set to helm Two Eyes Staring & When Gravity Falls, Snowpiercer might face further delay. However, as fans have patiently waited for so long, if the writers and production designers can use this postponement to streamline the budget, they can make up for the time that has passed.
What are your thoughts on Josh Friedman’s departure from Snowpiercer? Let me know in the comments.