Amazon Prime Video’s upcoming adaptation of the acclaimed Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang comic series Paper Girls just lost its co-showrunner.
Previously slated as a writer, executive producer, and co-showrunner of the series, Stephany Folsom helped shepherd Paper Girls for two years, after Amazon landed the series back in 2019. Folsom joined the project after her work on Toy Story 4, developing the very scripts that encouraged Amazon to order the show straight to series.
At the time of its official announcement, Folsom released a joint statement with her co-showrunner Christopher C. Rogers and fellow executive producer Christopher Cantwell, expressing their shared excitement about bringing the story to life. They said, “This is a story with so much heart, and so many unique colors and dimensions — our sincere hope is not only to do justice to the source material, but to make Paper Girls unlike anything else currently on TV.”
Knowing Folsom’s passion for the project, her exit comes as a huge disappointment. But while she isn’t expected to have an active role going forward, she worked on the project for two years in various key roles, including penning scripts and leading the writer’s room. Folsom surely made her stamp on the series, which we can expect to see even if production is completed without her.
For now, no explanation has been offered for Folsom’s departure but the Deadline report specifies that Amazon Studios and Legendary TV “opted to part ways with Folsom.”
We can actually expect to see Folsom’s name again soon, in another upcoming Amazon series: their very expensive Lord of the Rings adaptation, where she served as a writer.
Paper Girls Going Forward
Folsom’s departure leaves Christopher C. Rogers as the sole showrunner for the series. He’ll also executive produce alongside his Halt and Catch Fire co-creator Cantwell, and creators Vaughn and Chiang.
The mysterious sci-fi series follows four young girls who “while out delivering papers on the morning after Halloween in 1988, become unwittingly caught in a conflict between warring factions of time-travelers, sending them on an adventure through time that will save the world.”
That’s right — four kids on bikes, ’80s nostalgia, and a sci-fi mystery to solve. Sound a bit familiar? It’s no wonder bidding for the show was so competitive, but the comic book-based story brings a lot more to the table than being comparable to Stranger Things. Paper Girls is also a response to the way nostalgic media whitewashes the worst aspects of the time period, by ignoring diversity and casual hatred.
The events of the series have been described as “an emotional adventure in which the girls and the women they eventually become are tough, their friendships are authentic, and their journey through time is epic.”
So far the cast features Sofia Rosinsky (The Other Side of the Door) as Mac Coyle, Camryn Jones (Cherish the Day) as Tiffany Quilkin, Fina Strazza (Law and Order: SVU) as KJ Bradman, and Riley Lai Nelet (Altered Carbon) as Erin Tieng. Comedian and Always Be My Maybe star Ali Wong will also appear as the adult version of Erin, who she confronts in their travels.
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