Scott Derrickson Bails On "Radically" Altered ‘Snowpiercer’ Series; Lexi Alexander Laments Loss Of Its Inclusiveness

The way things are going, and with the incessant need for more and more content, practically every movie you adore will be transformed into a long-form series. In some cases, it’s a transparent, desperate attempt. In others, there’s just a rich world worth further exploration. That seems to be the case with “Snowpiercer,” the adaptation of the French graphic novel “Le Transperceneige.” Directed by heralded South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-Ho (“Mother,” “Okja”) in 2013, the sci-fi drama starred Chris Evans and Tilda Swinton and was widely regarded as one of the best films of that year.

Last year, TNT ordered a pilot episode of the show that was to be directed by Scott Derrickson, a horror filmmaker most recently known for helming Marvel’s “Doctor Strange.”

READ MORE: The Best Television Shows Of 2018 (So Far)

But no more. Derrickson, a very vocal voice on Twitter took to the social media platform Friday to announce he was leaving the show and decried how the series’ new showrunner had warped the incredible script.

READ MORE: Scott Derrickson To Direct TV Series Adaptation Of ‘Snowpiercer’

“The 72-page Snowpiercer TV pilot script by @Josh_Friedman is the best I’ve ever read,” he wrote on Twitter. “The feature-length pilot I made from that script may be my best work. The new showrunner has a radically different vision for the show. I am forgoing my option to direct the extreme reshoots.”

READ MORE: ‘Snowpiercer’ TV Series In The Works

And it appears, even with reshoots aside, you’ll never see Derrickson’s intended version. At least, according to his Twitter comments anyway.

Showrunner Graeme Manson, who ran things over at “Orphan Black,” came on to replace Josh Friedman (“The Sarah Connor Chronicles”) after the pilot was shot and TNT picked up “Snowpiercer” to series. But apparently things moved in an entirely new creative direction.

Friedman was not at all happy and slung several public digs at Manson and TNT after it was reported he was ousted from the show. “If you’re asked to rewrite someone or take over their show it seems like good sense and good karma to reach out to that person first and a) find out what the circumstances of their departure are and b) thank them for doing the work you’ll be profiting from,” he tweeted at the time.

“You should buy that person a nice meal or a bottle of alcohol if they’re up for it,” he added. “Your money was earmarked for them at one time. And more than likely, what may be a good job for you was a passion project for them. Put another way: if you were to take over a show, I’d originated and worked on for two years and didn’t reach out to me before taking the job you’re either an idiot, a coward, or a vichy motherf***er.”

Worse, in a lengthy Twitter thread, filmmaker Lexi Alexander (“Punisher: War Zone”), who was set to direct some of the series, lamented the loss of Derrickson and Friedman and the inclusivity they were attempting for the show behind and in front of the camera.

“They consulted me on everything from how to find queer writers without asking ppl what their sexual orientation is to who the best MENA actors are,” she wrote on Twitter. “And if their final ensemble cast was inclusive enough and on top of it they insisted I direct a couple of episodes. You know how many guys there are in Hollywood who believe inclusion is this important and who know that you shouldn’t just take advantage of a WOC consulting you without hiring her? I know two. Both aren’t doing ‘Snowpiercer’ anymore. Hollywood sucks.”

Alexander even went as far as asking any sympathetic insiders to leak Derrickson’s pilot, something ballsy and bold that a lot of producers working in Hollywood aren’t going to like.

Hamilton” star Daveed Diggs is set to lead the show which also includes Annalise Basso, Antonio Cayonne, and Jennifer Connelly. Set in a post-apocalyptic sci-fi environment where the world has fallen into a new ice-age, survivors live aboard a massive train that houses thousands of people. Diggs plays Layton Well, a prisoner stuck in the back-end of the class-divided train that contains the remnants of human civilization. The Chronole-sniffing Layton will join the resistance that looks to change the power dynamics on the Snowpiercer.

No news on when it’ll air, but it will be Derrickson and Alexander free, that’s for sure. Tweets below for more context below.