Sorry ‘Sons of Anarchy’ Fans, But Kurt Sutter’s Prequel ‘The First 9’ Will Likely Never Happen
Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter has had plans for years to make the prequel The First 9. The SAMCRO biker drama was so successful for FX during its seven-season run, that a prequel seemed certain to get the greenlight from the network. But after the Fox/Disney merger there was a falling out, and at this point it’s likely that The First 9 will never happen.
Kurt Sutter’s ‘Sons of Anarchy’ laid the groundwork for the prequel
Sons of Anarchy told the story of Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam), the VP of the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwood Original — aka SAMCRO — in Charming, California. Jax’s character journey begins when he finds a manifesto written by his late father John Teller, one of SAMCRO’s founding members.
In his writings, Jax’s father shared his plans and visions for the club — which were nothing like what the president at the time, his stepfather Clay Morrow (Ron Perlman), had in mind. Inspired by his father’s words, Jax starts to question his role in the club. He also starts questioning his relationships and his path in life.
The focus of the story was always Jax and the present day. But, the show would occasionally reveal details about SAMCRO’s founding members throughout its seven seasons. And the goal for Sutter was to eventually show fans how it all began for the nine original members with a prequel titled The First 9.
Sorry fans, ‘The First 9’ will likely never happen
After Sutter worked with Fox during the seven seasons of Sons of Anarchy, the network merged with Disney and the company culture changed. Sutter opted to do a sequel first with co-creator Elgin James, Mayans MC. But by season 2, the working relationship between Sutter and Disney was over.
In October 2019, Sutter was fired from FX and showrunning duties for Mayans MC were handed over to James. With Sutter and Disney parting ways, he admitted to Deadline that the possibility of The First 9 happening “doesn’t look that hopeful.”
“It’s their property. They’re not going to let me take it somewhere else. Right now, that relationship is in flux. With time and a shift in attitude, will we be able to do it? I don’t know. Hopefully. Maybe,” Sutter said.
What were Kurt Sutter’s plans for the ‘Sons of Anarchy’ prequel?
Before the project fell apart, Sutter shared details about his plans for The First 9 with Entertainment Weekly. He said that he wanted to begin the limited series in Vietnam with John Teller and Piney (William Lucking). Then, over the course of four two-hour episodes, he would focus on each guy who joins the first nine and build up SAMCRO as a whole.
“[I]t takes place in probably one of the most tumultuous periods, politically and socially, in the 60s with the Vietnam War. I wanted to really let the time and place and politics influence story,” Sutter said.
All seven seasons of Sons of Anarchy and the first four seasons of Mayans MC are now streaming on Hulu. Season 5 of Mayans MC will premiere on FX in 2023.
