Neil Jordan wants nothing to do with hit drama he co-wrote with Irish novelist

The Crying Game director Neil Jordan has distanced himself from his new U.K. TV drama Riviera after revealing the episodes he wrote have been changed without his consent.
The moviemaker reveals he objected to the alterations, insisting his drama would have been much darker.
The big-budget series, starring Julia Stiles, set viewing records for Sky Atlantic when it debuted on the satellite network earlier this month (Jun17), but although Jordan’s name features among the credits, he wants nothing to do with the hit.
“All I can say is good luck to them,” the Interview with the Vampire director tells the Irish Independent. “I can’t claim it’s mine. If I had been in control of the thing it would have been quite different.”
Jordan is listed as the show’s creator and co-writer, alongside Irish novelist John Banville.
“The two episodes we wrote together were reworked by others, after I pulled out,” the director adds. “I emailed John, wondering whether his doppelganger, Benjamin Black, had been up to some strange double tricks. His response was that even that scoundrel wouldn’t have written some of that dialogue.”
Jordan admits some racy scenes in particular were tough for him to watch: “There were various sexual scenes introduced into the story and a lot of very expository dialogue,” he says. “I objected in the strongest terms possible… It was quite distressing for John and for myself, the way it proceeded.”
“The first two episodes that myself and John wrote were very dark and complex and that’s what got everybody attracted to the project,” Jordan adds. “Sky Atlantic got involved because of these scripts. But then the producers decided to go in a different direction.”