'Warrior' Canceled at Cinemax, Creators Searching for New Home
Warrior has officially been canceled by Cinemax, but executive producers Justin Lin and Shannon [...]
Warrior has officially been canceled by Cinemax, but executive producers Justin Lin and Shannon Lee are still hopeful they will find a new home for the series. The martial arts-based action-drama series is now available to stream on HBO Max, but Lin is hopeful that the streaming service might produce more seasons as well. He appealed to HBO and to fans directly on Twitter last week.
Lin posted a plea to Warrior fans on social media on Friday, explaining for those that didn't know how the show came to be. Shannon Lee, the daughter of martial arts movie legend Bruce Lee, found "an eight page treatment" for the series "along with notes and sketches from his personal diary." The show has brought Lee's work to life for two seasons now, but Lin promised that there was much more story to tell — if they could only get the chance. "The reason I'm writing this is that we need your help with our last obstacle," he wrote.
— Justin Lin (@justinlin) January 1, 2021
"Though we were able to complete two seasons of WARRIOR, the network it was on will no longer be producing original content. The good news is that WARRIOR is now available on HBO Max and all HBO platforms. All I'm asking is for you to share some time with us. Check out the show. It's an immersive world filled with compelling characters and powerful stories. If you're a fan of action or the martial arts genre, you'll definitely enjoy it."
"And if you like it, please share it with friends and on social media," Lin went on. "That's it." Lin's hope is that more interest and attention could revive the show before it is out of production for too long. Warrior was produced for Cinemax, but since the network no longer makes original content, it needs a new platform to carry it.
"50 years after Bruce Lee conceived the idea, I think we made a show he would be proud of," Lin wrote, adding later: "Right now there are no plans for a Season 3 and beyond, but speaking for everyone on the WARRIOR creative team, we still have a lot more stories to tell. Our goal is to keep building our community and if enough people share our passion, we'll be able to keep our journey and Bruce Lee's vision alive and thriving."
Bruce Lee reportedly developed the original idea for Warrior in 1971, centering on a martial artist in the American Old West. It stars Andrew Koji as that hero, Ah Sahm. The show was critically and commercially successful, but has only been "canceled" because Cinemax is no longer producing original content.
From the looks of it, fans are taking up Lin's call to spread the word and perhaps save the series. Both seasons of Warrior are streaming now on HBO Max.