More than a decade after Sons of Anarchy ended its seven-season run, Charlie Hunnam is getting the gang back together — but probably not in the way fans expected.
FX has ordered Legends, a new original limited series for FX and Hulu that reunites Hunnam with several of his Sons of Anarchy co-stars for a wildly meta thriller in which the actors will play versions of themselves.
Hunnam will star alongside Ron Perlman, Katey Sagal, Maggie Siff, Mark Boone Junior, Tommy Flanagan, Kim Coates and Theo Rossi, with additional cast members still to be announced.
Rather than returning to Charming for another chapter of the SAMCRO story, Legends begins when the former Sons of Anarchy cast reunites at a fan convention more than a decade after their series ended.
Then things get considerably more dangerous.
What Is FX’s Legends About?
According to FX, Legends follows the Sons of Anarchy cast as their fictional reunion becomes a real-world thriller.
When the actors reunite at a fan convention, “the line between life and art blurs” as the fractured brotherhood suddenly finds itself facing a genuine threat more dangerous than anything their characters encountered on television.
The actors will play themselves in the series, giving Legends a particularly unusual connection to Sons of Anarchywithout actually continuing the story of Jax Teller and SAMCRO.
That distinction is important: FX is describing Legends as a new original limited series, not a Sons of Anarchy sequel, revival or reboot.
Instead, the show appears designed to have some fun with the actors’ history together, their relationship with Sons of Anarchy fandom and the blurred line between the tough characters audiences remember and the people who portrayed them.
Charlie Hunnam Reunites With the Sons of Anarchy Cast
For longtime Sons of Anarchy fans, the returning ensemble may be the biggest attraction.
Hunnam, who starred as Jax Teller throughout the FX drama’s seven seasons, is joined by an impressive collection of familiar faces.
Ron Perlman played former SAMCRO president Clay Morrow, while Katey Sagal starred as Gemma Teller Morrow. Maggie Siff portrayed Tara Knowles, Mark Boone Junior played Bobby Munson, Tommy Flanagan starred as Chibs Telford, Kim Coates played Tig Trager and Theo Rossi portrayed Juice Ortiz.
Seeing those names together again would normally be enough to spark speculation about a Sons of Anarchy reunion.
Legends takes that expectation and appears to make it part of the joke.
The cast isn’t returning as their Sons of Anarchy characters. They’re returning as themselves — actors forever connected by the enormously popular series they made together.
Legends Is a Love Letter to Sons of Anarchy With a Meta Twist
FX Entertainment President Nick Grad described Hunnam’s concept as both a celebration of the original series and something considerably different.
“When Charlie brought us this inspired idea, we instantly sparked to his bold and entertaining vision,” Grad said in announcing the series. “Charlie’s talents are on full display as a writer, performer and executive producer, leading the real-life brotherhood on an adventure that is both a love letter to the series and a fun meta twist on what fans think they know.”
That “real-life brotherhood” could be the key to making the unusual premise work.
Sons of Anarchy developed an intensely loyal following during its run from 2008 to 2014, and the relationships among its cast became nearly as closely associated with the show as the motorcycles, club politics and violence that defined SAMCRO.
Instead of pretending those years never happened, Legends is making that history the foundation of its story.
Charlie Hunnam Is Developing Legends With Jonathan Groff
Hunnam isn’t simply starring in the project.
As Deadline reports, Hunnam developed Legends alongside Jonathan Groff, with both serving as executive producers. Rob Mac, Nicholas Frenkel and Jackie Cohn will also executive produce.
The limited series will be produced by FX Productions and 20th Television.
For Hunnam, Legends also represents another major project with FX following his performance as Ed Gein in Monster: The Ed Gein Story, which earned him Emmy, Golden Globe, Actor Award and Critics Choice Award nominations.
He is also currently in production on the BBC adaptation of John le Carré’s Legacy of Spies.
Is Legends a Sons of Anarchy Sequel?
No — at least not in the traditional sense.
FX is calling Legends an original limited series, and the announced premise makes clear that Hunnam and his co-stars will be playing themselves rather than Jax, Clay, Gemma, Tara, Chibs, Tig and the rest of the Sons of Anarchy characters.
That means fans shouldn’t expect the series to undo Jax Teller’s ending or somehow bring deceased characters back into Sons of Anarchy continuity.
Instead, Legends is doing something considerably stranger: taking the real actors’ connection to one of FX’s signature dramas and turning it into the setup for an entirely fictional thriller.
The fan-convention setting should give the series plenty of opportunities to acknowledge Sons of Anarchy history while playing with audience expectations about the cast.
And with additional cast members still to be announced, the reunion may not be finished yet.
When Will Legends Premiere on FX and Hulu?
FX has not yet announced a premiere date for Legends.
The series has officially been ordered as a limited series and will be available through FX and Hulu, with additional details about production and release timing still to come.
For now, the cast alone makes Legends one of FX’s more intriguing upcoming projects.
A traditional Sons of Anarchy revival would have generated plenty of attention on its own. Hunnam instead found a much stranger route back to his former co-stars — one that allows them to reunite without rewriting the ending of the series that brought them together.
For Sons of Anarchy fans, that could make Legends one very interesting ride.
Thomas Miller is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Seat42F, covering television, movies and streaming entertainment. He launched Seat42F in 2007 and has spent nearly two decades covering the entertainment industry.
