Why FX Is Ditching Its Prince Charles and Diana Feud Season
After FX served audiences a delicious first season of Feud, centered around Joan Crawford and Bette ..
After FX served audiences a delicious first season of Feud, centered around Joan Crawford and Bette Daviss diva antics, the network announced a tantalizing second season that would be devoted to Prince Charles and Princess Dianas epic meltdown of a royal marriage. If ever there were a subject that sounded tailor-made for the catty, campy Feud treatment, it was the acrimonious Wales union, complete with secret affairs, 80s fashion, a full-blown press war, and an actual queen. Princess Margaret could even be a supporting character! Too good to be true? Apparently.
Feuds Charles and Diana season is “not moving forward at the moment,” FX chief __ John Landgraf__ told Entertainment Weekly on Friday, delicately spelling out yet another heartbreak for the summer of 2018.
Asked whether the decision was made because The Crowns third season is approaching Charles-Diana territory after a time jump, Landgraf said that was not the case; Feud would have offered “a very different approach” to this material. While The Crown is told from the P.O.V. of the Palace, Feud would have been told from Dianas own perspective—from “the point of view of somebody coming into that family, à la Meghan Markle.”
So why would the network pass on what sounds like an incredible opportunity?
“Ultimately, we couldnt get the material to the place we wanted,” Landgraf said.
Another possible explanation is that Feud co-creator Ryan Murphy is tilting his focus from FX to Netflix, the streaming company that poached the prolific producer earlier this year via a reported $300 million deal. The five-year contract stipulates that Murphys production company will produce new series and films exclusively at Netflix. Feud, and other Murphy-created series like American Horror Story and American Crime Story, will remain at FX.
In the meantime, for a fictional Prince Charles fix, audiences will have to look to The Crown, which recently cast Josh OConnor in the role.
“I am thrilled to be joining the Firm for the next installment of The Crown,” OConnor said in a statement. “Seasons 3 and 4 will follow some of the most turbulent events in the Prince of Waless life and our national story, and Im excited to be bringing to life the man in the midst of it all. Im very aware its a formidably talented family to be joining, but reliably informed I have the ears for the part and will fit right in.”
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