You can always tell when a show is really beginning to gear – the powers that be give more and more interviews and use plenty of buzz words to hype the show – and rightly so. As is the case with an interview the FlashForward producers, David S. Goyer and Marc Guggenheim, did with the FutonCritic. Here’s a splatter-gun list of what they talk about:
Is Dominic Monaghan joining the cast?: The producers are tight-lipped, neither confirming nor denying the arrival of a “Lost” son. This is obviously clever marketing – even if Monaghan isn’t part of the cast he is signed to AN ABC show, so there’s no harm in taking advantage of the speculation. That said, I think it’s almost certain that he IS set to star in FlashForward – but that’s just my opinion. By the looks of things we’ll have to wait a bit longer for official confirmation.
Do they have a plan?: Simple answer, yes they do. According to Goyer they wrote the first half of the Pilot before the writers strike and the second half after it. Goyer believes that writing the Pilot so far ahead gave them the advantage of being able to formulate the ‘stepping stones’. Goyer reveals that they (the producers) know the final shot of the first season, have the second season worked out and know how the entire series ends. It’s a case of expanding or contracting as per the requirements and popularity of the show. The first 11 episodes will be character centric, which will please “Lost” fans.
How many seasons?: The producers want at least 3 seasons but they have enough material for up to seven seasons.
Twists and turns?: The creators may want to differentiate FlashForward from “Lost”, but they realise that there are some elements that are well worth developing as part of FlashForward’s DNA. So there will be mysteries, twists, turns and smoke and mirrors. They say that they wont “trick” the audience, but they do expect FlashForward to subvert peoples expectations. So basically, what we see..might not be all that’s actually going on.
Story-telling structure?: FlashForward will consist of an overarching story with ‘stand-alone’ components.
Sci-fi?: Don’t be too quick to classify FlashForward as a sci-fi show.
The date – April 29, 2009?: Apparently this wont actually marry with the season finale after all – instead the date will fall during one of the first season episodes, but it’s obviously still an important moment in the mythos of the show.
Fun tip?: Keep your eyes peeled for a ‘hot pocket’ in the Pilot episode.
Spin-off?: FlashForward Latin America. It could happen.
This is just a brief overview, head on over to the excellent FutonCritic to read the entire interview.
