With the “Fallout” TV adaptation and Donald Glover and Maya Erskine’s “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” both landing Emmy noms in the drama category Wednesday, Amazon MGM Studios chief Jennifer Salke and head of TV Vernon Sanders are celebrating Amazon’s unprecedented position of having two shows in the running for this year’s top prize.
Salke and Sanders spoke with Variety after the dust had settled to break down the 62 overall nominations received by Amazon and MGM Studios — including 17 for “Fallout,” 16 for “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” and a nod for TV movie for the LGBTQ rom-com “Red, White & Royal Blue,” among the studio’s other noms.
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On the heels of the Emmys love for HBO’s “The Last of Us,” were you expecting “Fallout” to be able to achieve similar results or still cautious about the awards reaction to video game adaptations and genre TV?
Vernon Sanders: We’ve got to give all credit to the producers, Jonah [Nolan] and Geneva Robertson-Dworet, Graham Wagner and Todd Howard. And we knew as soon as we started seeing material come in for it that it was something really special and irreverent and unique. And it’s so different from “The Last of Us,” that you don’t quite know exactly how it’s all going to net out. But we knew it was really special and part of the reason why we’re incredibly proud of it is how well-received the show has been by the fans of the video games, and I think that’s all credit to [“Fallout” video game studio] Bethesda and our producers for really making this an original love letter. It’s really hard to do, so for the show to then get this kind of acknowledgement, critically and through the industry, is all just cherries on top.
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Jennifer Salke: It’s really exciting to see genre TV being acknowledged in this way, and to know how committed we are to future incarnations of big, global shows that stand up to originality and excellence and execution that are based on beloved IP — both from gaming and the book world. It’s very encouraging, we love to see these shows and films work globally. And that’s our biggest thrill: to drive a global audience and to also see them recognized in this way.
Will you be continuing with the same cast for “Fallout” Season 2, or pivot to an anthology format to explore the many different setups in Bethesda/Microsoft’s “Fallout” video game franchise?
Salke: We are committed to our journey with our beloved characters. Such a great Season 2 coming.
Sanders: We’ve been fortunate because this was the vision all along. I think we’re ahead of schedule, in terms of being able to get Season 2 back. We don’t have an exact launch date yet, but we’ve already gotten scripts in hand, and I think the fans of Season 1 will really love where we’re going for Season 2.
Salke: I saw some of the talk of, is this an anthology? And it does have a lot of doors we can go through, which is the beauty of the IP. But we are fully committed, and we’re all on this journey with the characters that we’ve met and loved in Season 1.
Do these Emmy noms for “Fallout” sway you to make more video game adaptations in the future?
Sanders: I think it has to be the right mix of a piece that feels like it’s special and unique in the landscape, a real partnership with the IP creators, who get how to translate this, and a visionary voice, both visionary writers and creators. Fortunately for us, we feel like we’ve found a few things in this area that really warrant it. So we’ve already announced “Tomb Raider,” which we’re incredibly excited about. And there are some other things definitely percolating, I think soon rather than later, you might hear about some some new things, but we’re always going to be careful and judicious. This is the model, so we don’t want to rush it and each of these has to have a reason to be.
Any update on the “God of War” TV series from PlayStation?
Salke: Stay tuned! We love “God of War.”
What was your reaction to the multiple nominations for “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”?
Salke: That’s another example of a very creator-driven project for us.
Sanders: Donald came in with Francesca [Sloane], his partner in crime from “Atlanta,” and they just had a clear vision about wanting this brand of “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” to be a way into the examination of a relationship
Salke: And a marriage. Donald talked a lot about his marriage and just the reality of being married. So the whole thing felt so character-driven. It wasn’t coming from just “hot couples who are spies or assassins” that you could easily run into. It was much more of a character-driven relationship study. And the tone of it, it’s just brilliant. And the writing, and [director] Hiro Murai did such a great job, and I’m so pleased to see him nominated as well, in addition to the incredible guest cast.
There have been rumors regarding whether Donald and Maya will reprise their roles for Season 2. Will they?
Sanders: It’s so funny that you asked that!
Salke: It seems to be top of mind for everyone!
Sanders: The only thing we can share is that Donald and Maya laid out their vision for Season 2, and we’re incredibly excited about it. It’s wildly imaginative. It’s really unpredictable.
Salke: I think it’ll bring audiences everything they want.
With “Red, White & Royal Blue” getting a nomination, where are you on plans for the sequel movie? Have you seen a script yet?
Salke: We’re really excited. We are into the second movie and can’t wait. The creative is awesome, and we’re so proud of the first film and getting the nomination. This morning, I was texting with [producers] Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter and Matt López, who are all just so proud. And we obviously love the movie, so we’re committed to the follow-up and can’t wait to get it out there in the world.
What does that nom mean for the future of rom-coms at Amazon?
Salke: I think it means a lot. You look at the viewership performance of “The Idea of You” for us and Anne Hathaway, and this film, and it’s clear that audiences are really hungry for romantic comedy and really well-done romantic comedy. They’re not looking for the lowest common denominator. And I think we’re just so proud of both of these movies, because we feel like the quality of them stands for itself and that’s what creates the word of mouth and the kind of cultural moment around them. It’s been a really successful strategy for us, so I think you’ll see more.
Not eligible this season, but up next year, will be “The Boys” Season 4. As you approach the end of that show in Season 5, what are your plans for the overall franchise — including “Gen V” Season 2 and the Mexico-set spinoff in development?
Sanders: This is all about Eric Kripke’s vision and the shared vision he has with his incredible producing partners. And we’ve just been all in, and he’s over-delivered every time. Even getting to see dailies and material in for Season 2 of “Gen V.” Obviously, that crew had a real challenge with the unfortunate passing of Chance Perdomo. But I think fans of the entire franchise are going to be blown away by Season 2 of “Gen V.” In terms of the future, that’s really up to Eric. We’ve got lots of ideas and thoughts, and he’s got lots of ideas and thoughts, but we want to make sure that we earn all of it. So when we announce our next thing, if we announce the next thing, it’s going to be because we really know that we have the signals from our audience that this is a story they want to be told.
Salke: We’re so excited about the show. And Eric, from the very start, has had a fountain of his big creative ideas around the franchise.
Speaking of the future, where are you on plans for “Citadel” Season 2, and will the Russo Brothers continue to be involved, as we’ve just learned they are in talks to direct two more “Avengers” movies?
Salke: They’re definitely involved in the second season, and directing and producing, and we are moving ahead and excited about that. So that’s in the works. And Italy’s “Citadel: Diana,” I think it really just delivers in so many ways. It’s a really cool character. It’s very thrilling, obviously, in the spy genre, but it’s really grounded and really well-execute, and kind of edge of your seat. And the star of it is absolutely great. And then we also have a show called “Honey Bunny” that’s coming out of India. Our biggest producers, most successful Amazon creators, Raj & DK [Raj NidimoruandKrishna D.K.], are presenting this show that’s a bit of a prequel that sort of further takes you into the world of “Citadel.”
Sanders: The “Diana” piece coming from Italy, “Honey Bunny” coming from India, each of them has some flavor that’s very specific to the region, but there is still global storytelling. And there’ll be news in the not too distant future about Season 2 of “Citadel,” the mothership, which is about to go into production soon, and the cast that’s coming to that franchise we’re very excited about.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
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