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'Shooter' Season 2: Ryan Phillippe Injury Ends Season With Episode 8
Though it was readily expected that series lead Ryan Phillippe's off-set injury would impact the show's second season in some way, USA Network confirmed speculation on Wednesday that their drama series Shooter will be shortened to only eight episodes this season instead of the originally ordered and announced ten episodes.
Phillippe suffered a broken leg during a family outing on July 16 that required him to have surgery, though he is expected to make a full recovery. Filming was already completed on the first eight episodes, with Phillippe in the midst of shooting the season's ninth episode when the accident occurred. USA Network, Paramount TV and Universal Cable Prods. made the decision to end the season with Episode 8 to give the actor enough time to fully recover for a full third season. Helping their decision is that it appears Episode 8 can work as a proper season finale and satisfactorily wrap-up the second season. Paramount TV issued a statement to Deadline on the decision: "Our priority is Ryan's recovery, and after conversations with our partners at USA and UCP we've decided that we will wrap S2 with episode 208."
For his part, Phillippe has been communicating with fans of Shooter through social media since the accident; including live-tweeting the show's season premiere and being a part of a Twitter Q&A:
From USA Network's website:
"Shooter, is a drama based on the best-selling Bob Lee Swagger novel by Stephen Hunter, Point of Impact, and the 2007 Paramount film starring Mark Wahlberg. The co-production with Paramount Television and Universal Cable Productions comes from executive producers Wahlberg (Ballers, Boardwalk Empire) of Closest to the Hole Productions; Stephen Levinson (Ballers, Boardwalk Empire) of Leverage Entertainment; and Lorenzo di Bonaventura (Transformers, The Real O'Neals). John Hlavin (The Shield) wrote the pilot and will also executive produce. Simon Cellan Jones (Bloodline) directed the pilot.
Ryan Phillippe (Secrets and Lies) is a producer on the project and will star as Bob Lee Swagger, an expert marksman living in exile who is coaxed back into action after learning of a plot to kill the president. Omar Epps (House) plays Isaac Johnson, a former Marine and former commanding officer of Swagger. Now a Secret Service Agent, he solicits Swagger's expertise for a clandestine operation that has disastrous results."
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