The period drama starring Matthew Bomer, Lily Collins and Kelsey Grammer joins another canceled freshman 'Z: The Beginning of Everything'.
- Sep 10, 2017
AceShowbiz - Amazon has given up on "The Last Tycoon", The Hollywood Reporter learns. The period drama based on the unfinished novel of "The Great Gatsby" author F. Scott Fitzgerald was canceled by streaming giant after running for one season only.
Originally developed for HBO, the nine-episode series premiered on Amazon in July. It starred Matthew Bomer, Lily Collins and Kelsey Grammer. The viewership numbers are not released, but it scored 53 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and 57 percent on Metacritic.
The show centered on Monroe Stahr, modeled after film producer Irving Thalberg. It followed his rise to power in Hollywood and his conflicts with rival producer Pat Brady, a character who's based on prominent studio head Louis B. Mayer.
"The Last Tycoon" joined "Good Girls Revolt", "Mad Dogs" and another Fitzgerald drama "Z: The Beginning of Everything". "Good Girls" and "Mad Dogs" were abandoned by Amazon in 2016 after one season while "Z" was axed this year.
"Z" starred Christina Ricci as the author's wife, Zelda Fitzgerald. It was initially renewed for a second season. Rumor has it, Amazon has spent $7 million during pre-production of the sophomore installment but they abruptly called it off in an effort to tighten its financial belt while continuing to search for a broad hit.
During their early foray into TV business, Amazon got a lot of praise for "Transparent". It won multiple awards including Golden Globe and Emmy. It became the first show produced by a streaming media service to win a Golden Globe. The show is now entering season 4 and got an early renewal for season 5.
Amazon also became the first streaming media service to get a Best Picture nomination at Academy Awards, thanks to "Manchester by the Sea". Although the movie lost to "Moonlight", it earned Casey Affleck a Best Actor prize at the Oscars.
