The first season of Gen V, a spinoff of Amazon's subversive superhero show The Boys, aired late last year on Amazon Prime Video. The show followed students at a university for superheroes, including Andre Anderson (Chance Perdomo), a student with the power to control and bend metals. The show was a hit and a second season is on the way. But in March, Chance Perdomo tragically died in a motorcycle accident. He was 27.
The other day, Amazon announced that it would not be recasting Perdomo going into the second season, posting this message to various social media accounts: “As we continue to navigate the tragic loss of Chance Perdomo, everyone at Gen V is determined to find the best way to pay respect to his memory,” the statement reads. “We won’t be recasting the role, because no one can replace Chance. Instead, we have been taking the time and space to recraft our season 2 storylines as we begin production in May. We will honor Chance and his legacy this season.”
At the end of Gen V season 1, Andre was locked in a cell alongside his friends Marie (Jaz Sinclair), Jordan (London Thor/Derek Luh) and Emma (Lizze Broadway) after the lot of them discovered that Godolkin University was being used as a testing site to develop a virus capable of killing superheroes, or supes, as they're known in this series. That thread will be picked up in the upcoming fourth season of The Boys, which premieres on Thursday, June 13.
It's unclear how the Gen V producers will write around Perdomo's absence, but I think it would feel disrespect to recast the role with another actor, so this feels like the right move for now.
Before landing the role of Andre on Gen V, Chance Perdomo appeared in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina on Netflix and named a a BAFTA Breakthrough Brit. His death is still quite recent, and we send our best to his friends and family.
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and Twitter account, sign up for our exclusive newsletter and check out our YouTube channel.
h/t The A.V. Club