In January it was announced that Justin Cronin’s The Passage Trilogy had been picked by Fox to be turned into a TV series. This is amazing news for fans of the novels. The Passage has often been compared to The Stand by horror legend Stephen King due to its apocalyptic tones.
What is The Passage?
Spanning over 100 years The Passage starts with a government conspiracy about death row inmates. 12 murderous criminals who are injected with a virus which gives them psychic abilities. It then morphs into a post-apocalyptic horror pitting the last group of human survivors against legions of vampires. Central to the story is six-year-old Amy Bellafonte who seems to be immune to the virus and is humanity’s last hope.
The pilot has yet to be filmed or cast but is scheduled to start shooting over summer. However, it’s never too early to start getting excited and here are five reasons why.
The Characters
At it’s core The Passage Trilogy is a character driven piece. Despite the time scale of the books, there isn’t a large cast. There are lots of support characters, but ultimately this is the story of Amy and her protectors. Whether it’s FBI agent Bradford Wolgast and Sister Lacy in the present day. Or Peter Jackson and Alicia Donadio in the future. The audience will grow to care about these fully thought out and flawed individuals. Child characters can be hard to relate to for older readers. However, Justin Cronin wrote Amy in such a concise way that the audience won’t be able to resist her charms. The tragic tale of FBI Agent and father figure Wolgast will make for truly captivating TV. While the future character of Peter and his search for hope in a desolated future will melt the heart of even the most jaded viewer.
The Crew Working On The Show
The show is already in very safe hands. Elizabeth Heldens has been confirmed as executive producer and writer. Having worked on Friday Night Lights, Deception and Camp she is no stranger to handling character driven pieces. Matt Reeves has also signed up to produce the pilot. Reeves has experience in the vampire genre having handled the remake of Let Me In. He’s also directed ensemble pieces such as Cloverfield and Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes. With these two leading the project all signs are pointing to a huge hit for Fox.
The Villains
The main threat in the series are a group of death row inmates turned Vampire overlords The Twelve. Describe as monstrous, inhuman and gigantic they present the perfect villains for both present and future. While the vampire underlings will be a constant source of threat for the cast in the future. Wolgast and Sister Lacy will at first, have to face off against a secret government group in the present. This threat will allow the writers a chance to show the depth of the characters going against humans and the difficult choices that this will entail. While the future cast will be pit against vampires and the harsh world they now inhabit.
Time Jumps
The audience is going to be watching a series that spans 100 years. Whether they dedicate an episode to each time period or focus on a single time to its conclusion this is a show that is going to be taking the audience on a journey through time. Ideally, a cutting between the present day and future will show the scale of the show. Game Of Thrones has paved the way for epic tales spanning a whole world. There is no reason that The Passage can’t follow their lead and treat the audience to a show set in present day and a vampire torn, bleak future.
This would add tension to all the present day segments as the viewer will ultimately know that the characters will fail at whatever they are trying to do. It would also work well in weaving a rich tale, dropping hints in both time periods that the other will be able to answer. Such as who is Patient Zero? Why is Babcock different from the rest of The Twelve? Are there other survivors?
Rise Of The Bookworm!
2017 is shaping up to be the year of the bookworm. Two of the most anticipated movies of the year The Dark Tower and IT are based on books by Stephen King. A Series Of Unfortunate Events has already been confirmed for another two seasons. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, American Gods by Neil Gaiman and Midnight Cross Road by Charlaine Harris are just a few of the adaptations hitting the small screen. In a time where comic book movies and shows have dominated the pop culture sphere, it’s refreshing to see books are still as relevant as their comic counterparts.
