WonderCon 2015: Wayward Pines Panel
A new show coming to TV will be the creepy and mysterious, Wayward Pines, which is based on the international bestselling book series by Blake Crouch. Executive producer, Donald De Line, explained how the show was conceived after he read the book and loved it; he said he could not put it down. De Line felt the material was “better served over a longer period of time” because there is too much for just a movie. The other big force behind this show is M. Night Shyamalan who liked the books even more because he could not guess the twist.
Reed Diamond, who plays Harold Balinger, chimed in that he read the book in one sitting. He also explained that early on you find out what is going on and the complexities just expand instead of a long build up only to deflate. After watching the pilot during the panel, the show is definitely intriguing and it is nice to hear that you get some clarification early on instead of being strung along blindly. Tim Griffin, who plays Adam Hassler, added that the show is “very generous on exposing secrets early on.”
They started to make the show after the first book came out and you learn the truth of what is going on around episode 5, but episode 10 will be just as exciting. It is great to hear that they plan to keep the audience engaged while still satisfying curiosities. For those who are wondering about how closely the show follows the book, the “overall truth is similar to the book” according to Donald De Line. This is a show where they have already outlined where the final episode would go and planned in advance instead of just writing as they went.
When you are basing a show or movie on a book there is an easy way to find out what most likely will happen. Reed Diamond joked that he felt like the only actor who read the book. He also commented on hearing interviews with cast members from Game of Thrones who have said they do not know what will happen to their character. Which surprised him because “you can find out!” Diamond also added that what the characters think and say are different and that is fun for an actor – lot of subtext to play with. Tim Griffin mentioned another talented actor on the show, Terrence Howard, did not want to know anything about his character. Griffin said he started out the same but then he got desperate and cornered Shyamalan to find out what happens to his character. All of the directors on the show were helpful to the actors by pointing them in the right direction without being too obvious and ruining the surprise.
This show was a first, in a way, for its creators because Donald De Line had never produced and M. Night Shyamalan had never done television. Shyamalan wanted to do something that was not like what was already on television. So why now? Donald De Line said it is because the show has a “fantastic story” and with a good show, it is all about the story. Reed Diamond agreed saying it is a “high quality show” and what better way to tell a great story than with A-list talent who want to bring the story to life.
Asked to sum up the story, De Line said it is a “great suspense thriller where nothing is what it seems to be but everything reveals itself…in a scientific way.” It does have the vibe of Twin Peaks meets The X-Files. On that alone, I am sold plus the pilot was pretty awesome so I will check it out for sure!
Wayward Pines premieres on May 14th on FOX.
