'Wu Assassins' season 2 could see Uncle Six return, Byron Mann teases 'anything can happen' on the Netflix show
This article contains spoilers for 'Wu Assassins' season 1
Netflix recently aired one of its most ambitious, action-packed supernatural dramas 'Wu Assassins', and fans are already demanding a season 2.
While the fans and those behind 'Wu Assassins' wait impatiently for Netflix to greenlight season 2, there is also the fear of never seeing one the show's beloved characters Uncle Six again. As Byron Mann, the actor who portrayed him puts it, he started out as one of the "baddest characters in town" and by the end of season 1, he is "kinda like the nicest guy in town," which is why his supposed death is so hard to deal with.
There are no guarantees, about his return, but considering the nature of the show, it cannot be disregarded either. As Mann elaborated in a conversation with MEA WorldWide (MEAWW), "I think the general thought is in a show like this anything can happen. You're dealing with supernatural powers, and we've seen in the middle of the series with Alec McCullough [portrayed by Tommy Flanagan], you know, he's come back. He's a guy who's like what hundreds of years old. Anything can happen. So, I wouldn't discount the possibility of Uncle Six coming back."
Uncle Six was murdered by Zan [portrayed by JuJu Chan], his right-hand woman. "In this world of the Triads there is a lot at stake and people have agendas. So even though Zan is somebody that Uncle six took in many years ago, I think it makes for a great drama that she would try to betray him. But again, I don't think the story's ended yet, but because if we get to season 2, then we'll see kind of what happened," he says.
Mann also teases that he has tossed around the idea of Uncle Six's return with the showrunners, but nothing is set in stone.
"Until we get the season order nothing's really going to be solidly, processed," he says, further elaborating on how when he took on this multi-faceted role, he had no idea how great it would be. "I mainly just wanted to work with John [Wirth], you know, because he's such a good producer-writer. And, it just turns out that what he wrote was a very very multi-dimensional character," Mann, who knew virtually nothing about the role when he signed on to 'Wu Assassins', told MEAWW.
He reveals that even the writers did not know much about where his character was going, but one thing he was certain about - Uncle Six cannot be a stereotype.
"I actually know - in real life - characters like Uncle six who are actually part of the triad organizations in Asia and so it wasn't hard for me to play them because I understood who they were. They're not gangsters shooting at people out in the open. They are family men. They're businessmen. A lot of them are very good to their friends and to their colleagues. So, I want to portray someone who is like that... someone who is real," Mann elaborates, adding, how that was the starting point for creating this character for him.
"This is a guy who has a really soft spot for his adopted son [Iko Uwais' Kai]. So, that ends up being his Achilles heel. So it's a guy who's not all bad... Uncle Six is a guy who stumbled upon a supernatural power and he is basically running San Francisco Chinatown and people like that, they rise up, by hook or by crook. These are people who straddle between the dark side and the light side, you know, very lightly. These are very complicated characters."
The Netflix show has been groundbreaking on many levels, especially in terms of representation.
"I think it's the only Netflix show that features a predominantly Asian American cast. That's number one, and this is not an acquisition. this is an original Netflix original series. On a personal level, it's kind of fun because all of us became very close during filming and we're it's like a little family that we've developed. The Wu family, it's become, a family affair," he gushes, but also specifies, representation is not the sole reason 'Wu Assassins' is made.
"We just do it because it's a cool story, I believe but if the audience feels like they're represented then that's fantastic."
Amazingly, the show is both cool and representational.
Season 1 of 'Wu Assassins' is available for viewing on Netflix currently.
Check back here for updates regarding season 2.