::Interview conducted by Jay Everington::
You've mentioned the show has some comic influences. How will it differ from other recent comic-inspired shows and films that have been released? Would you say it has a heavy comic book influence?
Well for one, Creed was never a real comic book to begin with. The other VS and films that have sprung up lately were all adaptations of existing material. Creed is wholly original. All the characters are creations of myself and Robert Kenneth. So that's the big difference.
I'd say it has a heavy comic book influence just in the style of storytelling. Network television's gotten rather formulaic for me over the last few years, which is why I gravitated more towards your HBO and Showtime series. Cable shows that strive to be something different. Comic books have been around forever, but there's a sense of sensationalism in comics that I don't think you can get on the small screen without it feeling hokey. Just take Batman as an example. The Riddler's probably the silliest villain ever, but he works as a comic book character when I think it'd be tough to translate the same character to film. Jim Carrey and Joel Schumacher made this point for me years ago.
With Creed, the aim was to create a world that feels real and yet otherworldly at the same time. The reason I love Batman so much as a kid is the setting of Gotham City itself. It almost feels like another character in itself. That's not something that you really get on television these days. Creed's based in Atlanta, Georgia, but part of the reason it's set in the future is to attempt to capture that same feeling of entering another world yet still having it seem familiar.
The show obviously has very strong religious themes running throughout it, yet none of the characters seem to be particularly religious with the exception of Bishop himself. Will this particular theme be explored in greater detail with characters other than Bishop?
Yes, but I didn't want it to be preachy, so you'll see it in different ways. There are themes of idol worship within the city itself. For instance, the Mayor of Atlanta is a retired quarterback who became something of a hero to the city based solely on his athletic accomplishments and that's how he got elected. The Preacher is a legend in the city. You'll see the trangressions of a few characters have come back to haunt them ten fold. I wouldn't say it's a hugely religious show. It's very spiritual though. There's a message in all the violence and carnage that takes place.
What other shows and/or movies - if any - have influenced Creed?
The Shield is a major influence. I just love themes of corruption being mixed with justice and honor. And the idea of doing the wrong things for the right reasons (or vice versa) that The Shield so masterfully crafts into its stories.
I think the X-Men parallel is obvious. A lot of people who read the original pilot mentioned Batman and that's a fair point, but that wasn't a source, to be honest. There are certainly similarities between Bruce Wayne and Bishop Baines, but Batman always had a line he was hesistant to cross (i.e. killing his foes). He never wanted to lose his soul to the darkness he faced night in and night out. Bishop has no such qualms about that and oddly enough it's really his unwavering faith and connection to God that allows him to cross that line repeatedly and never lose himself. Having said all that, this is Bishop we're talking about, not the other seven regulars.
The pilot pulled no punches with its violence and language. Will this continue to be the case with Creed? If so, are there any limits you've put in place as to how far you might want to take such things in the future?
Definitely not scaling back. I wrote this with the vision of it being something you'd see on a premium cable channel. A lot of VS/fanfic that gets graphic with the language and violence tends to do it gratuitously. I try to make sure it stays believable. As for limits, I'm trying a few questionable bits of imagery in season one to see how they are received and I might scale back if people think I'm pushing too much. I can't see it happening though b/c (I hope) it all works within the context of the series.
Do you plan to use more stand-alone stories or will the show be more arc-based?
It's an arc show and there is a story that unfolds over the entirety of the first season, but there's a bunch of smaller stories that are told in blocks and bringing them together is what tells that season long story. There's a six episode block to start the season that kicks off that arc, but those six episodes have a definitive end to them. There's another story surrounding a hostage situation at a school that unfolds over a few episodes, but again, it plays into the main story. It's not your typical "every character has an arc" type plotting that you see in every VS known to man. Everyone just sort of plays their parts and you come to know them by their actions instead of agonizingly boring flashbacks and patches of dialogue that just serve up information and don't do anything contextually.
Each character seems to have their own specific issue - part of the reason they were each recruited by Bishop to begin with. Is the plan to focus on each of them resolving these issues or simply learning to deal with them?
No, not really. This isn't a show about redemption or atonement for past sins. Everyone but Roxanne has made peace with their past. They're not over it per se, but they're past it. Through Haven, they've learned to live with their atrocities (by committing more atrocities... heh). You'll get into each character's head over the course of the season by observing how they act and react in certain situations. Most of their backgrounds are in their cast bios on show's website and blog, so that information is out there. It becomes more about, say, Salome's reaction to something that deals with small children b/c of the loss of her own child. Things like that. The mantra is learning through actions, not words. Roxanne's probably the only exception b/c she's new and won't be mixing it up too quickly. They all have a lot of anger insight whether it's with themselves, the world at large, or both. So hopefully, within a few episodes, readers will learn to pay attention to these characters when they're out and about and discover their quirks that way.
Is it safe to say Creed is the darkest thing you've written VS-wise so far? If so, how tough has it been adjusting to that style?
Yes, it's easily the darkest material I've dealt with. Adjusting wasn't hard at all. The biggest adjustment was the sheer amount of characters to write. I had to introduce 8 regulars in the pilot and I'm not the type of guy to introduce a character in name only, then just throw them into the mythology. The hardest part has been the aforementioned crafting of the city of Atlanta so it feels almost like an organic being itself.
Will the show be ensemble or will one or two characters get the bulk of the focus with the rest playing supporting roles?
Some characters will obviously get more airtime than others, but this is a team and everyone has their own unique abilities that they bring to the table. So depending on what the plot necessitates, you'll see some characters at points more than others. Not to mention Haven has a full staff of supporting characters (doctors, instructors, mechanics), so there are a lot of faces and names. Ultimately I think the core eight are all serviced over the course of the season.
Ok, last question: I have to ask... will the holographic van stay?
Ha! It's out, unfortunately. I'm not sure if that version of the pilot will air, so I'll explain for those who don't know. The team had a van covered with holographic plates designed to camouflage the vehicle depending on their situation. So it could be an ambulance, cut down an alley, and come out a taxi cab. Ultimately it seemed like too much for the realistic base I'd established earlier in the pilot, so it's gone.
Creed premieres January 5th, 2009 exclusively at GypsyVerse Production. Jay Everington is a virtual series writer who currently runs the popular SpiderMan: Gifts & Curses over at MZP
