The director says that actor Emilio Rivera, who played the Mayan president, was originally a member of 'Sons of Anarchy' biker gang in the pilot.
- February 20, 2017
AceShowbiz -
"Sons of Anarchy" fans are thrilled when FX ordered a pilot for a spin-off revolving around "SOA" nemesis, Mayans Motorcyle Club. The spin-off, which goes with the working title "Mayans MC", will be directed by "SOA" creator Kurt Sutter. However, little did we know that actually the Mayans were not even included in the original "Sons of Anarchy" plot.
Sutter makes the shocking revelation during an interview with Desde Hollywood. He reveals that the Mayans didn't exist when they filmed the original pilot of "SOA". In addition, he explains that Emilio Rivera, who played Mayan president Marcus Alvarez on the series, played a different role in the first pilot. Rivera's original role was surprisingly a member of SAMCRO.
"There was an original pilot that we shot with a different actor as Clay. We went back and we recast Clay obviously with Ron Perlman, and we had an opportunity to look at things that worked and that didn't work," Sutter says. He adds that Rivera's original character was named Hawk.
Sutter thought that Rivera's original character made the club over-crowded. Thus, he made a major alteration on the series which resulted on the creation of Mayans MC we know today. "We found that we wanted to simplify our characters. Ultimately, there wasn't room for that character. But, I had the idea for this other club that came out of California as well. And then, offered Emilio that part," he explains.
"Mayans MC" is set after the death of Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam), who runs the "SOA" biker group called SAMCRO, at the end of "Sons of Anarchy" finale in 2014. Jax's gang originally considers The Mayan as a rival, but the two gangs eventually work together as partners. The spin-off will focus on EZ Reyes, a prospect in the Mayan MC charter on the California/Mexico border. EZ struggles with his vow of vengeance against cartel and need for respect from the women he loves.
Veteran actor Edward James Olmos has been tapped to play EZ Reyes' father, Felipe Reyes. The potential series also cast "American Crime" actor, Clayton Cardenas, as Angel Reyes, EZ's brother.
