F. Murray Abraham will not be resuming his role in the Apple TV+ series Mythic Quest. A spokesperson for Lionsgate, the studio that produces the show, confirmed in a statement, “F. Murray Abraham will not be returning to season three of Mythic Quest. Beyond that, we do not comment on matters concerning personnel.”
The 82-year-old actor, who won an Academy Award for his 1984 performance as Antonio Salieri in Amadeus, was a key member of the Mythic Quest ensemble. He plays the character of C.W. Longbottom, a Nebula Award–winning writer who creates narratives for the video game company at the center of the comedy series. Longbottom is hard-drinking, egotistical, and old-school—“a walking cry for sensitivity training,” as The Ringer put it.
Abraham told V.F. last year that his role on Mythic Quest was a “special gift”: “I’ve done a whole lot of work and there are certain things I look for. One of [them] is community. To find that kind of connection and humanity is so hard because it’s so segmented.” So fans may be surprised that Abraham is leaving the Mythic Quest cast with so little ado.
In a flashback episode last season, it was revealed that his character was not necessarily what he seemed. The show’s cocreator and star, Rob McElhenney, said last year that the show asks viewers to empathize with the darkest elements of its characters. “Aren’t we all recognizing that life is messy and that people can be both a good person and a bad person on the same day?”
A representative for Abraham did not immediately respond to calls for comment. McElhenney and Apple TV+ referred V.F. to Lionsgate’s statement, but would not elaborate.
This story is developing.
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