A few months back, Fox ordered a pilot from the man famous for writing and creating projects as diverse as Dawson's Creek and Scream. The latter seems like a more accurate representation of writer/showrunner Kevin Williamson's tastes as he has devoted a lot of his professional time since bursting on the scene to writing scary and supernatural scripts, whether they're designed to hit the big or small screen. The new show at Fox will feature a similar tone and has Williamson once again wrestling with the tales of a serial killer but this time perhaps focusing more on the investigator assigned to the bizarre case. And, in a significant signing, the pilot has landed Kevin Bacon to star as said FBI Agent.
When we originally reported the put pilot commitment at Fox, I was full of speculation about the casting and, in keeping with Williamson's oeuvre, I was predicting a female heroine and an ensemble of attractive twenty-somethings. Obviously, this exciting news from Deadline put me in my place (and I'm happy to be there) because with Bacon the project takes on a whole load of different connotations. Don't expect another Secret Circle or Vampire Diaries, it looks like Williamson is finally growing up (well, not entirely since VD director Marcos Siega has been hired to helm the pilot).
In another interesting part of the deal, it seems that the show is looking to shoot a 15 episode season (that's how many Bacon committed to at least) instead of the more common 22. The article explains the shorten schedule as not only part of Fox's new strategy of mimicking the success of cable drama series but also to allow the actor to continue his feature film work (last seen chewing the scenery in X-Men: First Class). The still untitled pilot, from Williamson's Outerbanks Entertainment and Warner Bros Television, is about an FBI Agent (the Bacon) who gets wrapped up in a case of a serial killing cult under the influence of a 'diabolical' leader.
The article also explains that the cult leader uses some piece of technology in order to create in his murderous following, which might give it a science fiction twist but at the same time, for me, kills some of the chills. However, in my opinion, Charles Manson-esque manipulation is far scarier than some tech-psycho who uses a remote control to pull the trigger. Still, I'm pretty excited to see who will be brought in opposite Kevin Bacon since the role of the serial killer is still unfilled... Prediction, they will be female! I just like being wrong. Either way, as long as they cast a worthy adversary for Bacon, the project should still prove worth a look.
