Krysten Ritter to star in new Orphan Black: Echoes spin-off
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It's time to welcome a new sestra to the club… #CloneClub, that is.
AMC Networks announced that Krysten Ritter will be starring in the new Orphan Black spin-off, Orphan Black: Echoes, which will debut in 2023. Ritter (who has starred in Marvel's Jessica Jones, Breaking Bad, Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 and HBO's upcoming Love and Death) will also serve as an executive producer on the series.
Ritter will have some big shoes to fill, replacing Tatiana Maslany, who was nominated for three Lead Actress Emmys (winning once) while playing multiple clone characters over the course of the original series. AMC's release states that Ritter will be playing Lucy "a woman with an unimaginable origin story, trying to find her place in the world." Whether that is just one of many characters Ritter will be playing remains to be seen.
The casting of Ritter follows a series description that was released back in April: "Set in the near future, the new Orphan Black takes a deep dive into the exploration of the scientific manipulation of human existence. It follows a group of women as they weave their way into each other's lives and embark on a thrilling journey, unravelling the mystery of their identity and uncovering a wrenching story of love and betrayal."
Ken Woroner/BBC AMERICA; Inset: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic Krysten Ritter (right) stars in the new 'Orphan Black: Echoes' spin-off, replacing Tatiana Maslany from the original series
While the original Orphan Black signed off in August 2017, news of a spin-off first emerged in 2019, with various pitches coming in from different writers. As AMC was looking at getting a new series on the screen, Realm launched a podcast titled Orphan Black: The Next Chapter, starring Maslany and picking up eight years after the events of the TV show. Season 2 added even more original cast members in the form of Jordan Gavaris (Felix), Evelyne Brochu (Delphine) , and Kristian Bruun (Donnie).
No word on if any of those actors (including Maslany) will be involved in the new TV incarnation, however Orphan Black co-creator John Fawcett is indeed returning as a director and executive producer on the new show, which was created by Anna Fishko, who is also acting as showrunner.
"Embarking on a new saga of Orphan Black with Anna, our partners at Boat Rocker, and AMC could not be more exciting," Fawcett said in a statement. "For all our dedicated OB fans out there, I am thrilled that we can bring this new chapter to them. Without our fans, this new show certainly wouldn't exist and for that I am deeply grateful. I can't wait to 'follow the crazy science' for them!"
As long as that science leads to a Helena sighting at some point, we'll be happy.
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