‘Succession’ creator Jesse Armstrong: ‘I still feel a great sense of relief that I don’t have to continue making the show’
He was the international grand guest of Serielizados Fest held in Barcelona Jesse ArmstrongThe British screenwriter and producer behind 'Succession' (HBO Max), arguably the best series of the last five years, decided to end the series on its high point rather than risk it slowly losing steam. We asked him… British screenwriter and producer Jesse Armstrong, known for his series ‘Succession’ (HBO Max), which is arguably the best series of the last five years, has decided to end the series on its high point rather than risk losing steam. Armstrong was the international grand guest of Serielizados Fest held in Barcelona. He expressed relief at the decision and a sense of freedom to continue working with the show's writers and producers. Armstrong also commented on the transition of Rupert Murdoch to Murdoch's position as chairman of News Corp and Fox Corp. He also commented upon the changing landscape of TV and film entertainment, particularly in traditional media and technology.
Veröffentlicht : vor 2 Jahren durch Brandon in Lifestyle
He was the international grand guest of Serielizados Fest held in Barcelona Jesse ArmstrongThe British screenwriter and producer behind ‘Succession’ (HBO Max), arguably the best series of the last five years, decided to end the series on its high point rather than risk it slowly losing steam. We asked him about his great masterpiece, as well as some of his notable earlier works.
What stage of grief are you in with ‘Succession’?
Maybe a bit like evil relatives waiting to see what they can get from an inheritance. [ríe]. Honestly, I feel a huge sense of relief to be relieved of all the responsibilities of writing the show, running the writers’ room, and thinking about what the next season should be. It makes me sad that I can’t continue working with the actors and writers, but I also feel pretty liberated that I don’t have to do that again. [ríe de nuevo].
Do you still think you chose the right time to end the series?
Yeah, I think so too. I’ve talked a lot about this with my writers and some of the executive producers closest to HBO. I was happy with that perspective when we decided. Then, during filming, something really clicked and it made me wonder, “Could we have gone this way? Could this have gone any further?” But I still think that the series ends when it should, and that this is the most organic and natural way.
Since when did you know you had Tom Wambsgans? [Matthew Macfadyen] Was his final successor to be chosen?
For a while. When we started writing season four, I think I started like this: “Probably Tom, but let’s see how things shape up and we have different possibilities.” But as early as season two, I told Matthew not to just be a helpful clown. He also had to be someone who, deep down, truly desired to take over one day. One attitude was not at all incompatible with the other, because at the end of the day, he achieves power through his benevolent character.
One good reason to end the series, as season four’s scriptbook introduction says, is that there was already a pretty clear winner in the real-world war between traditional media and technology. So the second one won.
This doesn’t mean that all newspapers or channels will disappear, but the landscape is changing dramatically, especially in TV and film entertainment. Traditional companies had to become broadcasters to survive, and now they’re looking for a way to combine advertising to survive on broadcast. The company we started doing ‘Succession’ with was very different from the company we had just built.
Did you like the end of Rupert Murdoch’s succession?
Unlike our series, this series still has many seasons to see. Murdoch was careful to emphasize that he would not be leaving News Corp and Fox Corp altogether when he resigned as chairman. He remains chairman emeritus of both companies. If I were Lachlan, I would always try to talk to my father before making important decisions.
According to this An article published by ‘Vanity Fair’ in AprilLachlan told Rupert that his younger brother James had been leaking stories to ‘Successor’ writers.
I don’t really know how to say this, but that wasn’t our method of research. What we do… Well, read ‘Vanity Fair’ articles like this one! And also many books. You can discover many things this way.
I’m glad they did this. I also talked to a few people and luckily it still seems to be going on. Comedy can get old very quickly and no longer work for audiences.
The issue of rights and distribution can be frustrating. Another of his best series, ‘Fresh Meat’, was available on Netflix in Spain for a while but is no longer available anywhere. And that’s a shame: it’s a teen comedy on a level rarely seen.
Before ‘Succession’ I wrote all my series with Sam Bain. This time we tried to work in an American-style writers’ room. And it was a fun experience, something I remember fondly.
I know you won’t give me any privileges, but what are you working on right now?
Nothing. I have all kinds of projects in my studio, in my office, but I’m not doing anything with all of them right now. I was at the Copenhagen TV festival before coming to Barcelona and now before going to Madrid. After years of not really liking to talk about ‘Succession’, I now spend all my time talking about it. But I promise that one day I will return to my office and start writing seriously.