Charlie Ridgely
In just a couple of weeks, Mayans MC - the first spin-off from the world of Sons Of Anarchy
- will begin filming its pilot episode. While many of the characters
from the original show won't be back for this new ride, one original
cast member has been involved with the spin-off's production.
Emilio Rivera played Marcus Alvarez on Sons Of Anarchy,
and the character was the original founder of the Mayans. It hasn't yet
been confirmed exactly what Rivera's role will be in the new series -
or if Alvarez will get some more screen time - but Rivera is excited for
the series nonetheless.
Last week, he was taking some of the new cast members to
an instructional riding lesson in Arizona. Before that, he was spending
time with Kurt Sutter and Elgin James, talking over some of the creative aspects.
In the middle of his busy schedule, Rivera took some time
to chat with ComicBook about the upcoming series. In regards to learning
that Mayans MC was going to be moving forward as the first SOA spin-off, Rivera revealed that it was a long time in the making.
"We were wrapping up Sons, there was a little bit of talk
about it but there's always talk about that. Even early on people be
talking about it but nothing was ever set in stone. It was never
verified so we didn't really know what was going on for like eight
months or so. This might be going down and only because people started
congratulating me before I even knew what the hell was going on which
was really cool. I'm just glad that Kurt kept me alive because I
remember one time I told Kurt, I go 'Brother when you finally decide to
kill me please don't let me die in a chicken sh** way. Let me go out
blazing.' He put his hand on my shoulder he goes, 'Your death will be
glorious.' I'm glad he wasn't then maybe he'll be this time around but
at least I'm here to talk about it."
Since Mayans MC will take place after the events of Sons Of Anarchy,
fans are aware that they will have to live in a world without
Jax Teller. The character's decisions in the series finale had a huge
impact on the world of the viewers, as well as the world of the MC.
Fortunately, for Alvarez and the Mayans, life went on.
Here's what Rivera had to say regarding what Alvarez has been up to
since the original series:
"Business as usual, bro. I was sad that Jax had to die and
Filip, he tred. The thing is life goes on. Business is business. I got
to pay the bills. I got to feed the family so business as usual. Pretty
much that's all that's been happening and now we're going to rank up and
again we got to deal with it."
UP NEXT: Rivera Reveals What Made SOA Great
The Mayans MC pilot is set to film this April in Los Angeles. Sons Of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter is directing the episode, with a script written by showrunner Elgin James. If picked up to series, the show will likely air on FX this fall. The cast for the series includes JD Pardo, Antonio Jaramillo, Clayton Cardenas, John Ortiz, Richard Cabral, Sarah Bolger, and Edward James Olmos.
Set in the aftermath of Jax
Teller’s death at the end of SOA’s seven-season run in 2014, Mayans MC
will focus on the struggles of Ezekiel “EZ” Reyes, a prospect in the
Mayan MC charter on the California/Mexico border. EZ is the gifted son
of a proud Latino family, whose American dream was snuffed out by cartel
violence. Now, his need for vengeance drives him toward a life he never
intended and can never escape.
CORRECTION: It was reported in
a previous article that Sons Of Anarchy star David Labrava was a former
member of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club. That information was
incorrect, as Labrava is a current member - in good standing - of the
Hells Angels.