After three seasons on Syfy and two on Amazon, The Expanse will return for one last season to wrap up its epic tale of interplanetary politics.
The show is known for its dedicated fanbase, who campaigned for Amazon to pick up the show after Syfy canceled it in 2018—on a cliffhanger, no less. Since then, The Expanse has branched out from its original source material, a series of novels by Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. Much like Game of Thrones, the TV series will end before the books, meaning the show’s writers will probably have to craft a different ending.
The show covered approximately one book’s worth of plot in each season so far, with season 5 expected to cover material from books five and six. But there are three more books to go, with the series’ ninth and final volume due out in 2021. So unless the show’s creators are planning to cram a lot of material into that sixth season, we’ll probably see very different outcomes from the two versions of the story.
It’s always good to hear that a show’s creators will get to wrap up their work instead of getting summarily canceled halfway through filming. There was, however, a more troublesome question hanging over The Expanse‘s final season: Will actor Cas Anvar return?
Anvar plays the spaceship pilot Alex Kamal, one of the lead characters. But earlier this year, multiple people publicly accused him of sexual assault and harassment. These allegations characterized him as a predator who targeted fans at conventions and on social media, suggesting a disturbing pattern of behavior. The Expanse‘s production company promised to investigate the issue, prompting questions about his future on the show.
Anvar isn’t mentioned in Amazon’s press release, but Deadline reports that he won’t return for the final season. He will, however, be unavoidably included in season 5 next month, since the season wrapped filming long before the allegations came to light. It’s unclear whether his character will be recast or written out of the show.