Lazarus (Life On Mars/Ashes To Ashes Sequel)

[thechase]

Life on Mars co-creator Matthew Graham has confirmed that he and his longtime collaborator Ashley Pharoah have scripted the pilot episode to a proposed sequel series.



News broke in 2020 that the team were developing a follow-up titled Lazarus, which would tie up the story that began in Life on Mars and continued in Ashes to Ashes.



John Simm and Philip Glenister have expressed an interest in reprising their respective roles of Sam Tyler and Gene Hunt, with the former teasing on Instagram in January that they have been discussing "life on different planets".





Three months later, Graham has now confirmed that the pilot script for Lazarus is complete, sharing the news via the Twitter account of his production company Watford&Essex.





The tweet reads: "So Ashley Pharoah and I have completed the pilot script for Lazarus. It contains the words – Hanging, Boogie, Creme Fraiche."



The post received an outpouring of support from Life on Mars fans eager to get their hands on the next chapter, which would reportedly bring the franchise to a close.



Like Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes, Lazarus takes its name from a David Bowie track – the final single to be released during his lifetime.



Previously, Graham has teased that Lazarus will be set across the '70s, '80s, '90s and an alternate present day, as well as hoping for an "Avengers"-style reunion for the characters from Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes.

www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/life-on-mars-sequel-lazarus-newsupdate/

[Mr PONYMANIA Mr Jenzie]

i was totally into life on mars/ashes to ashes, and will eagerly await the third and final part
also intrigued what reference THOSE three words bring?

[Perpetual Nirvana]

Cool and all but...

which would tie up the story that began in Life on Mars and continued in Ashes to Ashes.

Didn't they do that already? What loose ends are there?

[Herman The Tosser]

I was hoping for 90s cop drama "Tin Machine"

[thechase]

Not happening. They don't have the money.

twitter.com/EssexWatford/status/1664986845480992774?t=f9g2LRpf5DWQRS1xNSUVlw&s=19

[stoptheclocks]

I'd have been excited to see it, but equally I thought A2A answered pretty much any questions I had and was good an ending as I think you're going to get for a show of that type.

[thechase]

Pilot script to be given a table reading at the British Film Institute November 19th

Life on Mars chronicled the fish-out-of-water adventures of Sam Tyler, a Manchester policeman who is struck by a speeding car in 2006 and awakes to find himself in 1973, and part of a very different police force. A spin-off, Ashes to Ashes, followed. A third instalment, entitled Lazarus, was announced but was never made. This special event is an opportunity to see what might have been, with a dramatic table reading of the opening episode.

Tickets £6.50

whatson.bfi.org.uk/Online/default.asp?BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::permalink=lazarustablereading2023&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::context_id=

[thechase]

Yesterday was the pilot script reading.

None of the original cast were there to perform the roles sadly

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}The story opens on Sam, now separated from Annie in the present day. He works for Hyde at internal affairs, he's on the trail of a ring of corrupted police officers. His investigations take him to a care home where he finds Gene Hunt, who's chain smoking, addicted to pork pies and watching Morse reruns. Neither of them appear to have any memory of the other.

Sam hears the sounds of a bouncing space hopper, and eventually sees visions of it, it leaves blood stains on the floor with each bounce. At the foot of Sam's bed he can see the BBC Test Card Girl and a Clanger

Annie and Sam have a dinner, but Annie hands back her wedding ring.

Sam takes Gene out of the care home, as he feels he is connected to the police corruption, they drive along but get caught in a car accident, a red quattro hits them. The pair then wake up in 1977, at the wheel of another car, that crashes into a guy on a ladder.

Back at HQ, the two find Litton in charge of the department, Sam eventually gets kidnapped by threatened by corrupt coppers.

Throughout the episode, there are references and allusions to David Bowe's last album, Blackstar, the blackstar symbol appears a few times.

Sam and Gene are fired from the force, but vow to get to the bottom of the corruption and restore their missing memories, episode ends with the duo driving off to the tune of "the boys are back in town"