Civilization has fallen and humanity is struggling to survive, doing so by ass kicking and sword wielding, and we wouldn't have it any other way. AMC, home of that other apocalyptic series The Walking Dead, is bringing back the futuristic martial arts drama Into The Badlands on 19 March.
The network sums up the premise best: "Centuries from now, a feudal society has emrged in the wake of civilization's destruction. This area is now called the Badlands and is uneasily divided among seven barons. Each baron enforces their iron rule with the aid of loyal armies of trained assassins known as Clippers."
That's where things started, but one of those Clippers, Sunny (played by Daniel Wu, recently announced as part of the Tomb Raider reboot), decided to go rogue and has stirred up all sorts of things — though, based on the trailer, it hasn't necessarily gone the way he imagined.
At the end of season one, Sunny was captured by the River King (Lance E. Nichols) and sold into slavery, which is where things pick up. Needless to say, it's only a matter of time before he fights his way to freedom, but what is made apparent is that the action is going to be coming from a number of other characters as well, notably Emily Beecham as The Widow and Stephen Lang as Waldo. Nick Frost (Santa Claus on Doctor Who!) has joined the cast.
Into The Badlands is created and executive produced by Al Gough and Miles Millar (the creators of Smallville), who are currently overseeing season two of The Shannara Chronicles in New Zealand. Gough shares his enthusiasm for the new year of Into The Badlands with Empire, noting, "We are so excited about season two. We take the audience deeper into the Badlands and really open up the world. Our characters will meet new barons, new threats and new allies as their journey continues....including Nick Frost, who is absolutely brilliant. His mix of humor and humanity make the show soar as much as any martial arts move. And he kicks ass as well!"
In the UK, Into The Badlands is shown on Amazon Prime Video