The 2010 movie, Legion, was a hit when it first came out in theaters but never received a sequel, leaving audiences curious about what might have happened next in its overarching storyline. Directed by Scott Stewart of the Priest and Dark Skies fame, Legion opens with an intriguing hook where a group of diners finds themselves facing evil supernatural forces. With what follows, an archangel named Michael comes to their rescue, claiming that a pregnant waitress’ child will ultimately be humanity’s last hope. The movie boasts an ensemble cast, including Paul Bettany, Tyrese Gibson, Dennis Quaid, Adrianne Palicki, and Lucas Black.
Despite having a decent storyline, a roster of talented cast members, and a strong reason to expand into a full-fledged franchise, Legion 2 never saw the light of day. However, even though Legion‘s follow-up movie never happened, and Paul Bettany never returned to the film franchise, the movie’s worldbuilding was expanded by a follow-up in 2014. While this follow-up remained relatively obscure, it effectively borrowed the seeds of ideas sown by the film and turned them into something more expansive and ambitious.
Dominion Served As A Sequel To 2010’s Legion
Legion earned fairly well at the box office when it premiered in 2010, grossing $67 million against a budget of $26 million. However, despite having a decent box office performance, Legion was panned by critics and never greenlit for a sequel. However, Syfy later created a sequel series for Legion, titled Dominion, which lasted for two seasons before being canceled. Although Legion served as a springboard for Dominion, Dominion adopted a standalone story set 25 years after the events of Legion. Compared to Legion, Dominion also received significantly better critical ratings, especially after season 2, but still got canceled.
Why Dominion Was Canceled After Season 2
While Syfy did not disclose the exact reason for Dominion‘s cancelation, Anthony Head, who played David Whele in the Legion sequel series, opened up (via Anthony Head’s official website) about what might have led to its premature end. He said that even though the second season was “something to be proud of,” the “viewing figures” of the series were underwhelming. To add more perspective to his claims, the actor also explained that Dominion season 2’s viewership was even lower than that of season 1 and kept declining consistently almost throughout the span of its 13 episodes.
Head further added that changing the night they aired the show might have caused its low viewership, suggesting that Dominion‘s airing schedule was initially planned differently. The actor also revealed that Syfy relies more on word-of-mouth marketing for the second seasons of shows instead of actively promoting them. This itself could have played a crucial role in diminishing the Legion sequel series’ overall viewership in its second season.
Sources: Anthony Head’s official website
