PaleyFest: 5 ‘Sons of Anarchy’ Revelations From Kurt Sutter

For being a panel about a murderous motorcycle club, the Sons of Anarchy PaleyFest event was packed with a surprising amount of laughter. Probably because the show’s creator, Kurt Sutter, and cast that attended seem to genuinely love the hit FX series — which will start shooting its fifth season in May — and each other.

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Sutter’s wife actress Katey Sagal, who stars as Gemma on the show, attended along with Theo Rossi, Tommy Flanagan, Dayton Callie, David Labrava and Michael Ornstein.

Plenty of jokes were had as the cast shared their experiences over the past four seasons, with Sutter explaining his casting of both David Hasselhoff and Tom Arnold as a decision made in a “drug induced haze,” and Rossi telling a hilarious story about attending a film premiere with his mohawked hair and tattoos, and getting suspicious looks all night from the likes of Steven Spielberg, Michael Bay and Tom Cruise.

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But among the jokes and the stories were a few teasers about the upcoming season and some interesting tidbits about the past.

Here are 5 revelations from Sutter at Paleyfest:

1. Jax is King
Sutter told the crowd that season five focuses on Jax’s (Charlie Hunnam) arrival at the head of the table and as the leader of the club. “For me, the interesting dynamic to play out this season is seeing Jax at the head of that table and the struggle that he has of being king,” Sutter said. “How do you, can you be the leader of an organized crime syndicate and not become Clay? And if you choose not to become Clay, are you doomed to the fate of John Teller?”

2. A Month Will Have Passed
Sutter told the audience that about a month of time will have passed from when the show ended after season four. This is a significantly smaller jump than between seasons three and four.

3. Otto May Be Doomed
Towards the end of the panel, an audience member asked Sutter how he decided to place himself as a character in the show. “I am the only one who will employ me. I’ve asked everyone else in town and no one will,” joked Sutter, who added, seriously, that acting is his “first love.” However, fans of his character may not be happy to hear that Sutter has dark plans for Otto, potentially taking him to the gas chamber. However, Otto’s potentially tragic end could be pretty far off into the future. Sutter added that Otto won’t be featured as much in season five.

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4. Sutter Wants To Do a First Nine Prequel
Sutter spoke about the idea he has to someday make a prequel of sorts to Sons of Anarchy that would focus on the original founders (also called “the first nine”) of the motorcycle club and would be set in the ‘60s. He said the network knows he’s interested, and that it would be a “very different show.” “I’m definitely interested in doing it,” said Sutter. “I’m sort of committed to it.” Sutter added that he wasn’t sure if he would want to start it right after Sons ends (which would most likely be after a seventh season) or put some time between this show and a prequel.

5. Steven Tyler Could Have Been a Porn Producer
The character played by David Hasselhoff, Dondo, the porn-star-turned-porn-producer was originally created for Steven Tyler, Sutter told the crowd. However, Tyler ended up having to go on tour with Aerosmith, and so the role went to the Hoff.

Twitter: @Beccamford