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The Scream creator discusses his new FOX series and how he got Kevin Bacon to play the lead.
One of the most promising TV series for the coming season looks to be The Following. Created by Kevin Williamson (Scream, The Vampire Diaries), the series -- which will debut midseason on FOX for a 15-episode run -- stars Kevin Bacon as a retired FBI agent called back into action when the killer (James Purefoy) he captured years before escapes – only to learn that the killer has managed to amass his own devotees, who seem intent on helping him carry out his dark mission.
I recently spoke to Williamson about his approach to the series, and casting Bacon – who’d long been sought after for a TV project.
IGN TV: What was the inspiration for The Following?
Kevin Williamson: Well, I had the story - I was working on it 16 or 17 years ago. I was writing Scream, and this idea came to me at the same time. I put it in a box and didn’t deal with it until now. So I had tried to develop it as a series before, then I tried to develop it as a feature film, then I tried to develop it as a graphic novel -- nothing quite worked. And then the time felt right, and I did it.
IGN: Everyone wanted Kevin Bacon for a TV series, but you obviously had the right project.
Williamson: I think it was what he wanted to do. I think he was drawn to this kind of material. Now that I’ve gotten to know him a little bit better, I understand that this is exactly his type of stuff, it’s up his alley. He likes this type of TV. He likes the thrillers, he likes the roller coaster ride. I think he enjoys the project in addition to playing just the FBI guy.
Kevin Williamson on The Vampire Diaries' Big Finale Twist
IGN: So just how wide has the killer in this story extended his reach?
Williamson: I don’t want to give anything away, but it does seem to stretch from coast to coast, to some degree. We’re dealing with a man who, while he was in prison, the first thing they discover is that he had internet access through a weird, weird chain of events. He never should have had internet access, but he did. And because of that, they don’t know who he was contacting. So that’s kind of the conceit, and that could be anyone in the world.
IGN: You’ve got 15 episodes for this season. With a story like this, how do you arc it? Do think in multiple seasons?
Williamson: Well, I thought about it. I have this season pretty much worked out and next season, because I know how big we’re gonna get, where the break-off point is gonna be, what the jeopardy and the stakes of the very first -- once you see the pilot, you’ll actually understand when I say that it actually kind of writes itself in terms of the framework of the first season. The serial killer lays it all out. And so the first season will be watching that happen, and then we’ll watch how our FBI team and Kevin Bacon’s character has to constantly stay one step ahead of him. Because a lot of the time, they’re behind. That’ll be the whole show. It was the fun of 24 - was Keifer Sutherland always had a problem to solve, and that’s the same here. They just have to stop it before one more person dies. And unfortunately... a lot of people are going to die.
IGN: If you want an exciting FOX series, you’ve gotta get a Flatliner. That seems to be the lesson here.
Williamson: Oh, that’s right! Friday the 13th, Footloose. It’s all good.
One of the most promising TV series for the coming season looks to be The Following. Created by Kevin Williamson (Scream, The Vampire Diaries), the series -- which will debut midseason on FOX for a 15-episode run -- stars Kevin Bacon as a retired FBI agent called back into action when the killer (James Purefoy) he captured years before escapes – only to learn that the killer has managed to amass his own devotees, who seem intent on helping him carry out his dark mission.
I recently spoke to Williamson about his approach to the series, and casting Bacon – who’d long been sought after for a TV project.
IGN TV: What was the inspiration for The Following?
Kevin Williamson: Well, I had the story - I was working on it 16 or 17 years ago. I was writing Scream, and this idea came to me at the same time. I put it in a box and didn’t deal with it until now. So I had tried to develop it as a series before, then I tried to develop it as a feature film, then I tried to develop it as a graphic novel -- nothing quite worked. And then the time felt right, and I did it.
IGN: Everyone wanted Kevin Bacon for a TV series, but you obviously had the right project.
Williamson: I think it was what he wanted to do. I think he was drawn to this kind of material. Now that I’ve gotten to know him a little bit better, I understand that this is exactly his type of stuff, it’s up his alley. He likes this type of TV. He likes the thrillers, he likes the roller coaster ride. I think he enjoys the project in addition to playing just the FBI guy.
Kevin Williamson on The Vampire Diaries' Big Finale Twist
IGN: So just how wide has the killer in this story extended his reach?
Williamson: I don’t want to give anything away, but it does seem to stretch from coast to coast, to some degree. We’re dealing with a man who, while he was in prison, the first thing they discover is that he had internet access through a weird, weird chain of events. He never should have had internet access, but he did. And because of that, they don’t know who he was contacting. So that’s kind of the conceit, and that could be anyone in the world.
IGN: You’ve got 15 episodes for this season. With a story like this, how do you arc it? Do think in multiple seasons?
Williamson: Well, I thought about it. I have this season pretty much worked out and next season, because I know how big we’re gonna get, where the break-off point is gonna be, what the jeopardy and the stakes of the very first -- once you see the pilot, you’ll actually understand when I say that it actually kind of writes itself in terms of the framework of the first season. The serial killer lays it all out. And so the first season will be watching that happen, and then we’ll watch how our FBI team and Kevin Bacon’s character has to constantly stay one step ahead of him. Because a lot of the time, they’re behind. That’ll be the whole show. It was the fun of 24 - was Keifer Sutherland always had a problem to solve, and that’s the same here. They just have to stop it before one more person dies. And unfortunately... a lot of people are going to die.
IGN: If you want an exciting FOX series, you’ve gotta get a Flatliner. That seems to be the lesson here.
Williamson: Oh, that’s right! Friday the 13th, Footloose. It’s all good.
