The Queen’s Gambit director Scott Frank confirms there won’t be a Season 2, saying the show “told the story we wanted to tell.”
The Queen’s Gambit director Scott Frank has ruled out the possibility of a second season of the hit Netflix series. The series, based on the 1983 book of the same name, followed orphaned prodigy Beth Harmon, played by Anna Taylor-Joy, who rose through the ranks of the chess world while battling her addiction to drugs and alcohol. . Set in the 1950s and 1960s, it also starred Harry Melling and Thomas Brodie-Sangster. Released in October of last year, it has become Netflix‘s most-watched miniseries.
The series was also a critical success, underscored by its success at last night’s Primetime Emmy Awards. Director and showrunner Scott Frank won the award for best director for a limited series or film. The awards didn’t end there: The series also overcame stiff competition, with series like WandaVision, I May Destroy You, and The Underground Railroad taking home the award for best mini-series or anthology. Only The Crown, which won seven awards, did better for Netflix’s charts. With the commercial and critical success, a second season could therefore seem inevitable.
However, in an interview with Deadline, Emmy in each hand, showrunner Scott Frank put an end to any hope of a second season. While he is “sorry to disappoint anyone,” he believes they “told the story they wanted to tell.” He said he was “terrified” that if they continued they would “ruin what we have already said”. You can read the full quote below:
“I am sorry. I hate to disappoint anyone, but no. I feel like we’ve told the story we wanted to tell, and I’m worried – let me put it another way – I’m terrified that if we try to tell more, we would ruin what we have already told. ”
The news will be a bummer for the series’ many fans, and possibly also for star Anna Taylor-Joy, who previously said she would jump at the chance to work with the team again. The Queen’s Gambit, which was highlighted by executive producer William Horberg after the show. But it wouldn’t be the first time a successful streaming series has gone down on a high note after just one season. Watchmen screenwriter and showrunner Damon Lindelof, who won the best mini-series last year, also felt he had told the story he wanted to tell in one season and decided to leave. on a good note.
However, not everyone is so fond of the series. Real chess champion Nona Gaprindashvili, who is mentioned in the last episode of the series as never having faced male chess players, sues the Netflix series for libel: in fact, Gaprindashvili often faced male opponents. But if fans won’t be happy with a season’s approach and its end, they can be reassured: even if we won’t see Taylor-Joy’s Beth on the chessboard, the same team of authors, directors, and actors could work together again, but on a new story. Although the series has ended on the small screen, fans will be able to see Harmon return offscreen, as a musical adaptation of The Queen’s Gambit is in development on Broadway.
