Exclusive: Billy the Kid screenwriter Michael Hirst reveals what to expect in Season 2 of the hit show
Michael Hirst is an acclaimed screenwriter responsible for the hit TV series Billy the Kid, which today returns to Stan for an exciting new season.
Hirst is best known for scribing the 1998 version of Elizabeth and it's sequel, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, and is also the creator of the Emmy Award-winning television series The Tudors and Vikings.
Speaking exclusively to 9Entertainment, Hirst opened up about the highly anticipated second season of Billy The Kid and the challenges faced during its production.
New episodes of Billy The Kid now streaming on Stan.
Inspired by the life of America's most infamous outlaw, the new season sees Billy (Tom Blyth) and his allies square off against his oldest friend Jesse Evans (Daniel Webber) and the corrupt powers of the Santa Fe Ring.
When shots are fired, the conflict erupts into the bloody Lincoln County War. But amid the fighting, Billy struggles to hang onto his soul – and to the love of his life.
The series films in Calgary, Canada, known for its vast weather climates but also as a place with real-life cowboys.
Hirst noted that this was a great advantage for the younger actors.
"It's absolutely wonderful to be with the real thing, to be with real cowboys," he said. "Calgary is a town with a big cowboy tradition."
READ MORE: Aussie actor Daniel Webber on his new role playing iconic outlaw Jesse Evans
Hirst noted that the first series faced problems due to the pandemic.
"It was a very hard shoot because of that, but we got through it. It's a great crew," he said.
"We've had problems with the [writer and actor] strikes, obviously, but I'd written all the scripts before we started shooting Season 2 and we managed to shoot four of them."
"I think that we stepped up; the production stepped up several notches for Season 2." - Michael Hirst
Season 1 of Billy the Kid introduced the audience to the young outlaw's background and his early life filled with tragedy.
"I wanted people to empathise with Billy because he's a sensitive, very moral young man who has tragedies in his life," Hirst explained.
"I wanted people to know about that and also to know a little bit about the politics of New Mexico and America at that time in the 1860s and 1870s. I knew that when we hit Season 2, we were going into a real Western."
Hirst described Season 2 as more dramatic, with a significant increase in action and excitement.
"There's a lot more action in it, a lot more excitement. So I'm thrilled with that, and it just gets better, actually," he stated.
"The things that Billy does are simply unbelievable. So for me it's been a great journey."
Hirst emphasised that the second season will explore the commercial conflict between different groups of people. "All the episodes are about life and death. That's what we're playing with here. We're playing with the very narrow margin between life and death, and I think it's very exciting. I think it's exciting drama," he added.
When asked about his inspiration for Billy the Kid, Hirst revealed a personal connection to the character.
"Funnily enough, I hero-worshiped Billy the Kid when I was a kid myself," he admitted.
"I grew up reading some stories, I guess, about Billy and identifying with him. All those sketches I ever saw of him in the comics I was reading made him look like a kid. No other gangster, no other outlaw ever looked like a boy, and Billy looked like a boy to me."
Hirst's desire to dig deeper into Billy's character led him to create the series and showcase the human side of the legendary figure.
"I loved the human being. It's the human being I wanted to show," he said.
Hirst expressed his hope for a third season, emphasising the endless potential of Billy's story.
"I'm hoping that we can do a third season because there's plenty more to say about Billy," he concluded.