Sean Bean has appeared in blockbuster films and TV shows as well as small independent movies, but he rarely comes out of them unscathed. Having been run off a cliff by rampaging cows, shot in the neck with a grappling hook, beheaded and quartered by horses in his 31-year acting career, the Sheffield-born actor hasn’t had much luck cheating death.
Bean himself has acknowledged his fictional mortality, saying: “I’ve died a lot of different deaths. Maybe it’s the quality of my death people are fascinated by. I liked Lord of the Rings. Big death.”
Now, after a tongue-in-cheek plea by fans, the producers of Bean’s latest TV series, titled Legends, have launched #DontKillSeanBean on social media in order to try to keep Bean alive in his new show. The campaign has already gone viral after launching over the weekend, with T-shirts supporting the hashtag appearing at San Diego Comic-Con.
Tricia Melton, a marketing executive at TNT, the cable chanel set to air the show, said: “Sean laughed out loud when we first talked to him about it and is 100 per cent behind not getting killed in Legends. He’s got a great sense of humour and is enjoying the fun the fans are having.”
Legends sees Bean play a gruff FBI agent able to adopt a new identity each episode. A source at the channel refused to reveal any information surrounding Bean’s fate on the show, saying that it “will depend on the ratings. He’s safe for a bit.”
