I’ve been reading comic books for over three decades, most of that Marvel’s merry mutants the X-Men. But if there’s one comic that I rank up there as among my very favorites, it’s Y: The Last Man. Brian K. Vaughan’s post-apocalyptic series concluded its run over a decade ago, and an adaptation, be it movie or TV, has been in the works even longer. Multiple failed attempts aside, a series is finally here and it will hit FX on Hulu in a month. A month!
For those who don’t know, Y: The Last Man takes place after a mysterious event wipes out every mammal with a Y chromosome. And yet, amateur magician Yorick Brown and his pet capuchin named Ampersand survive in a world now dominated by women. Shocker, the loss of all the guys doesn’t cure global chaos or anything.
Ben Schnetzer stars as Yorick, with Olivia Thirlby as his sister Hero, Ashley Romans as Agent 355, and Diane Lane as Yorick and Hero’s mother President Jennifer Brown. Eliza Clark is on board as showrunner, and every season one episode will have a female director. Good move.
This is far and away better than initial plans for a feature film led by Shia LaBeouf. The gigantic story Vaughan crafted could only be satisfying on the small screen.
Y: The Last Man hits FX on Hulu on September 13th.
“Based on DC Comics’ acclaimed series by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra, Y: The Last Man traverses a post-apocalyptic world in which a cataclysmic event decimates every mammal with a Y chromosome but for one cisgender man and his pet monkey. The series follows the survivors in this new world as they struggle with their efforts to restore what was lost and the opportunity to build something better.”
