Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter has hit back on criticism that his new series, The Bastard Executioner, is too violent, saying "there is nothing wrong with colourful brutality".
The blood-soaked medieval epic tells the story of Wilkin Brattle, a 14th century warrior whose world changes when he is forced to lay down his weapons and live the life of a journeyman executioner.
The conversation inevitably turned to violence following the screening of a teaser at the official Bastard Executioner press tour this weekend, with Sutter's previous work taken into consideration.
"My mandate, as it was on Sons, is that the violence – as absurd as it could be sometimes – always comes from an organic place. To every violent act, there are ramifications. Yes, it's a medieval setting, and the laws, in terms of punishment, were brutal and heinous. That's a reality of the world. There are ways to portray that violence that don't make it openly gratuitous. Anything that happens, battle sequences or torture... always has some ramification — be it emotional on a character or somehow impacts the narrative," Sutter explained.
Sutter said he and FX head John Landgraf were clear that the new show "would not be a series where there would be a head in the basket every week".
The new series, which has been described as part Game of Thrones, part The Tudors, has a lot to live up to. Sons of Anarchy went out on a high note, averaging more than 7.5 million weekly viewers and making it the second most-watched series in the network's history.
Though The Bastard Executioner will not feature huge names, there will be some familiar faces on the screen. Stephen Moyer (True Blood), Flora Spencer-Longhurst and Sutter's wife Katey Sagal (Sons of Anarchy) will star in season 1.
The 10-episode first season debuts on September 15.
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Watch the teaser
