Saïd Taghmaoui has abruptly exited from the second season of Legion on FX.
This information was verified by a spokesperson on Tuesday, who did not mention anything relating to the actual reason for Taghmaoui’s departure. The team behind Legion, which is currently in production in Los Angeles, has declared that there was indeed a decision to recast the role, but as of this moment, no further information has been released regarding who will replace Taghmaoui.
Taghmaoui himself took to Twitter on Saturday, declaring that “Finally I’m not going to be in Legion but a big surprise coming soon.” Considering the actor’s recent successes, including starring in Wonder Woman, it is entirely possible that this departure was without drama, and Taghmaoui simply found a more high-profile project to attach himself to.
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However, Legion has been shooting since early September, and it is unknown whether or not this departure will affect a large quantity of the show. When it comes to how this will alter production going forward, representatives for Taghmaoui declined to comment.
Noah Hawley, Legion’s showrunner, announced at Comic Con back in July that Taghmaoui would be signing onto the series to play the Shadow King himself, Amahl Farouk. In the first season, Aubrey Plaza filled this role, although Taghmaoui isn’t a recast; in the series, Farouk was haunting main character David Haller by assuming the form of his deceased friend, Lenny. There was also an additional incarnation portrayed by Quinton Boisclair, who assumed the form of a disgusting, fat, yellow monster sneaking around inside David’s memories. Plaza and Boisclair will both return in season two.
Legion is a rare unity of Marvel Television and FX Productions, both of whom were united under Hawley’s strange vision for the series. Although it is not nearly as acclaimed as Hawley’s other work (rightfully so), the show is simultaneously creative and fun in a way few other series are, and hopefully this unforeseen development does not disrupt the filming of the season too significantly.
