Vagrant Queen | |
---|---|
Genre | Sci-fi Space Western |
Created by | Jem Garrard |
Based on | Vagrant Queen by |
Starring |
|
Country of origin | United States |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 3 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) |
|
Production company(s) | Blue Ice Pictures |
Release | |
Original network | Syfy |
Original release | March 27, 2020 |
Vagrant Queen is an American sci-fi television series that premiered on Syfy on March 27, 2020. The series is based on the Vault comic book series written by Magdalene Visaggio and illustrated by Jason Smith.
With civilization at stake, it's this queen, this deadbeat and this mechanic against a whole damn galaxy.
Premise[edit]
Elida built a life as a scavenger and outlaw, but when an old frenemy, Isaac, turns up with news about her long-lost mother, she is forced to return to her broken kingdom with Isaac and Amae in hopes of staging a rescue before a deadly childhood foe, Commander Lazaro, finds them.
Cast[edit]
- Adriyan Rae as Elida (Eldaya) Al-Feyr
- Tim Rozon as Isaac Stelling
- Alex McGregor as Amae Rali
- Paul du Toit as Commander Lazaro
- Vash Singh as Krob
- Colin Moss as Hath
- Bonnie Henna as Xevelyn
- Steven John Ward as Chaz
Episodes[edit]
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date [1] | U.S. viewers (millions) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 'A Royal Ass-Kicking' | Jem Garrard | Jem Garrard | March 27, 2020 | 0.375[2] |
2 | 'Yippee Ki Yay' | Jem Garrard | Jem Garrard | April 3, 2020 | 0.310[3] |
3 | 'Nobody's Queen' | Danishka Esterhazy | Mika Collins | April 10, 2020 | 0.208[4] |
4 | 'In A Sticky Spot'[5] | Danishka Esterhazy | Mariko Tamaki | April 23, 2020[6] | TBD |
5 | 'Temple of Doom'[7] | TBA | TBA | April 30, 2020 | TBD |
6 | 'Requiem for the Republic'[8] | TBA | TBA | May 7, 2020 | TBD |
Production[edit]
On May 17, 2019, it was announced that Syfy had given a straight-to-series order to adapt the comic book series “Vagrant Queen.” Blue Ice Pictures are producing the TV series with F.J. DeSanto & Damian Wassel of Vault Comics. Jem Garrard will serve as showrunner and also direct certain episodes as well as Danishka Esterhazy.[9] Writers for the show include Jem Garrard, Mariko Tamaki and Mika Collins, with Gerrard having written about a third of the episodes.[10]
Casting[edit]
On May 17, 2019, Adriyan Rae was cast as Elida, Tim Rozon as Isaac, and Paul du Toit as Commander Lazaro.[9] On February 14, 2020, Alex McGregor was revealed to be Amae in the show.[11]
Filming[edit]
On May 17, 2019, principal photography was set for July 2019.[9]
Release[edit]
On September 23, 2019 Syfy released the first teaser trailer for the series.[12] On February 14, 2020, Syfy released key art for the series and set the premiere date for March 27, 2020.[11]
The series premiered on March 27, 2020 and was scheduled air on Fridays at 10pm (ET), but the April 17th episode was preempted and moved to April 23 at 11pm — possibly indicating that the network began burning off the remaining episodes ahead of cancellation.[13]
References[edit]
- ^'Vagrant Queen – Listings'. The Futon Critic. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
- ^Metcalf, Mitch (March 30, 2020). 'Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Friday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.27.2020'. Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
- ^Metcalf, Mitch (April 6, 2020). 'Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Friday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.3.2020'. Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
- ^Metcalf, Mitch (April 13, 2020). 'Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Friday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.10.2020'. Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
- ^https://www.nbcumv.com/programming/syfy/vagrant-queen/episodes-schedule?network=33143&p=1
- ^Released on digital marketplaces such as Amazon and iTunes on April 17, 2020.
- ^https://www.nbcumv.com/programming/syfy/vagrant-queen/episodes-schedule?network=33143&p=1
- ^https://www.nbcumv.com/programming/syfy/vagrant-queen/episodes-schedule?network=33143&p=1
- ^ abcBoucher, Geoff (May 17, 2019). 'Syfy's 'Vagrant Queen': Adriyan Rae To Star In Live-Action Space Tale'. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
- ^Weiss, Josh (February 14, 2020). 'LONG MAY SHE REIGN! MEET THE MOTLEY CREW OF SYFY'S VAGRANT QUEEN IN FIRST TRAILER & KEY ART'. Syfy Wire. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ^ abBoucher, Geoff (February 17, 2020). ''Vagrant Queen': Syfy Releases Trailer, Premiere Date for Snarky Space Opera'. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
- ^Dominguez, Noah (September 23, 2019). 'Vagrant Queen: Syfy Reveals First-Look Teaser'. Comic Book Resources. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ^Saclao, Christian (April 22, 2020). 'Is Vagrant Queen on the brink of being cancelled?'. Geekspin. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
External links[edit]
- Vagrant Queen on IMDb
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vagrant_Queen&oldid=952649560'
Vagrant Queen is what you get when you take a little of and a pinch of, and replace the chiseled, cis-het male hero with a fit, but realistic-looking Black heroine. It’s a kick-ass space adventure with charismatic characters and funky locations, replete with the humor and heart that make those films great.Based on the comic of the same name, Vagrant Queen follows Elida, a child queen turned orphan who scavenges the galaxy, attempting to stay hidden from the Republic government who violently overthrew her family and wants to finish the job. When she runs into her old friend Isaac, he shares news about her past that launches them into a dangerous journey into the belly of the beast.“It’s a personal journey culled against an epic backdrop,” says creator and showrunner Jem Garrard, when we spoke on the phone about the show. “I really love the idea of this space opera that really focused in on a very kind of personal and intimate journey and that you don’t really get to see much in this genre.”. “It’s a tough role because a lot of people just wanted to play her angry,” says Garrard, a white showrunner. “And when you try to write a character who’s sort of independent and tough, a lot of times that can kind of just read as anger, and there’s so much more to a leader.” I don’t know if Garrard knows how important this insight is. Black women are often portrayed as “strong” or “angry” and not allowed to be seen as vulnerable.
It means a lot that care was taken not to affix those labels to the character.It was also important that the show cast appropriately. In both live action trilogies, Ororo Munroe a.k.a. Storm is played by a biracial, light-skinned actress, while Storm in the comic books (and animated series) is dark-skinned. Comic book Elida is similarly colored, and Rae is lighter, which she had some concerns about.
Subscribe“If you check out the comic and then go to my Instagram, you’ll see that my complexion is a lot lighter than Elida in the comic,” says Rae. “I was really surprised at first. I was like, ‘Aw, man. I love this role, but I’m not dark enough.’ I was really sad about that because there’s a thing with women of color. We’re in this great movement towards having more of that in TV and in a space where more people can see women of color in leading roles and things like that.”This is an ongoing conversation within the Black community—especially among Black women, who are most affected by colorism—and there is a lot of nuance that we didn’t have time to address in our conversation. Rae, it should be noted, is not an extreme departure from her comic book counterpart in the same way Halle Berry or whatsherface is for Storm. Adriyan Rae looks the part.
Progress can be a slow process, but Syfy doesn’t seem to be slowing down. With Vagrant Queen, the network isn’t just putting WOC in front of the camera, but investing in women behind the scenes as well.
Every episode was written and directed by women, headed up by Garrard, who said of the choice: “When I’m put in this position of power and I’m able to make those decisions, it’s very important to me to give opportunities to talented directors, talented women that weren’t otherwise being given those opportunities.” Garrard isn’t just busting down doors, she’s holding them open for other women to walk through.“I loved working with women directors. I don’t have anything against male directors, but it’s a different feeling,” says Rae of the production experience. “Working with all female directors, it’s empowering to know that you’re part of a movement. You’re a part of something that’s impactful and something that’s not the norm in Hollywood and that we’re moving it towards becomes the norm. I am very grateful to be part of that. It felt super comfortable.
I felt so supported. Every director that came in there, I adore them to this day and we had a lot of fun while getting things done.”Syfy consistently puts out enjoyable shows, but the network has yet to break out of the niche box they’ve been put into by many viewers. The aforementioned Killjoys is one of maybe five recent series on the network that reached its natural end and wasn’t prematurely canceled. Despite Syfy offering a home for shows that, there seems to be a disconnect between the network and the wider audience. People don’t know about these shows when they’re airing, and they don’t get the same cultural attention that other genre shows do. Vagrant Queen could perhaps change that.So, what makes Vagrant Queen different from other things on TV? “Question for you,” asks Rae when the question is posed to her.
“How many black females do you see doing comic book action stuff on TV as a lead role?” Not many.“I don’t find many things that push not just being woke, but it pushes the agenda of how strong, beautiful and impactful women are,” Rae continues.“I think that’s what makes it so different on top of the fact that it’s still sci-fi and it’s sci-fi with a Black lead, which is not very common.”. Beyond that, Vagrant Queen is a flashy, exhilarating adventure, with a fresh take on the hero’s journey—or, as the showrunner describes it: “a very fun, bright, irreverent and violent space opera that has a very kind of personal journey.” Having seen the first two episodes, I find that to be an apt description. Some sci-fi can be dark and grim, both aesthetically and in tone. Often color and light, or lack thereof, are visual indicators that the subject matter is heavy or serious.
Vagrant Queen does not take that approach. It is visually and tonally vibrant, which makes it a bright spot in these dark times—no hyperbole.“It’s a story that tells how women are strong no matter what type of woman you may be and no matter what shape, size, color,” says Rae.
“No matter if you’re an empath, or if you’re a badass, or if you’re someone who is nurturing and loving, or someone who’s more submissive, it shows how powerful each and every one of those women are and can be, and how impactful that can be towards the world or the galaxy.”The timing for Vagrant Queen may be fortuitous. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and turning to film and TV to occupy their time. A quick perusal through my Twitter timeline tells me people are looking for new things to watch, and they’re looking for things that take them out of their own heads, and out of their current reality. People want adventure and escapism, they want to have fun!
Thankfully, Jem Garrard and her team made fun a mandate, and Vagrant Queen is primed to deliver the humor and enjoyment people are craving right now.