LUNCH

After some more dealer room visiting, Jonathan and I went to lunch across the street at Rubio's.  There was a big shopping center there with restaurants a plenty.  Jonathan shared about the new play he is going to be in from March 18 to May 1, 2004 at The Write Act Theatre, 6128 Yucca Street, Hollywood.  It's Franz Kafka's, The Trial.  The web site address is Write Act Theatre.  If you've ever seen Jonathan in one of the Collinsport Players skits, you know it's going to be good.

MARK VERHEIDEN

After lunch, it was time for the Mark Verheiden talk.  It was really cool how the room was set up.  The front row seats were higher prices then the other seats but no line waiting.  A definite plus.  But, not a problem sitting more in the back.  They had a big screen and they projected the stars up there or written information about autographs or announcements.  Wish they would do that at the Dark Shadows Fest.  Sometimes, you can't see them.

Mark Verheiden was introduced by the Dark Shadows theme music.  IT STARTED ON TIME. I WAS STUNNED, AMAZED, GLEEFUL!

There was a staff person that interviewed Mark.  Mark was a writer for Dark Horse Comics where he wrote a great many of the Alien, Predator, Phantom and Time Cop series books.  He co-wrote the story for the move, The Mask.  Because of Time Cop, that is how he started to write for Television.  Eventually, he was moved up to Co-Executive Producer for Smallville on the WB.

Then they started talking about the Dark Shadows pilot.  It hasn't been green-lighted as of yet.  Six scripts have been ordered to be written.

 

He was then asked questions from the audience.  Many asked about Smallville.  He discussed that each episode was stand alone in and of it's self.  On top of the layer was a season arc or long term over season arc.  Mark was quite pleased with the Perry White casting of Michael McKean.

He also discussed he would no longer be at Smallville should Dark Shadows be picked up for the fall.  Verheiden's total talk lasted 20 minutes.

Mark also stated at various points while answering questions from the audience:

• I love Dark Shadows vampires.
• The pilot is being shot the week of March 29.  (Note: One week later, it started on April 2, 2004.)
• Dan Curtis is very protective of Dark Shadows since 1996.
• The new Dark Shadows will not be a radical revision of the original.
• Thought Dark Shadows would be complimentary with Angel and was surprised it was cancelled by the WB.

After his talk, we asked if he would be greeting fans or signing autographs.  The staff said he would be walking around.  We waited.  After awhile we inquired again, the kind staff finally got him from the backstage area.

Jonathan and I then introduced ourselves and asked a bunch of questions about the new show.  He stated:

• He was not having a teen cast.
• He did note some of the messages and what nots some of the fans have been posting on the Internet.  He sincerely expressed that the show was not going to be Dawson's Shadows.  They weren't going exclusively for the 20s audience.
• Verheiden thought the theme music by Robert Cobert was so powerful and so associated with the show, that it would more then likely be used.  However, Cobert is 80 years old now and living on the east coast.  He thought it unlikely he would be doing the week to week scoring of the show.
• He met Kathyrn Leigh Scott (Maggie, Original Dark Shadows) earlier in the day and was quite cryptic on whether or not she will be in the show.
• Verheiden's approach to the writing is that each episode would be a complete story.  Over that would be an overall story line for the season.  This is similar to Smallville.
• Jessica Chasion is around 20 to 22 years old.  She is so far, other then little David, the youngest cast member.  Jonathan and I acknowledged this was the correct age for Carolyn and thought it a good call.
• He was really pleased to have little "Nemo" cast as David Collins.
• He was also really pleased to have landed the cast he has so far especially Marley Shelton and Martin Gould.  Both Alec Newman and Shelton are in their early 30s.
• He feels his role as one of the co-producers is to run interference with WB.  He knows what they like and dislike since he's been working on Smallville for a good long while.  He feels he will work well with both John Wells and Dan Curtis.  He respects their work a great deal.
• It will be dark, really dark. Darker then Angel.  No campy stuff.  No moving booms, cardboard sets that moved, or roaming cameras.  He said he wanted there to be a realness about it.  Always grounded in real people and place.  The supernatural would flow on top of that reality.  (My note here, Yea. I think it will bring out the supernatural aspects of the show.)
• He did watch the show as a child but didn't get to see it too often since he couldn't get home from school on time.  His sister used to watch as well.  Currently, he is collecting the Dark Shadows DVDs and is up to the latest release.
• The casting of Elizabeth will be a total unexpected surprise.  (And, so true he was right!  It is going to be Blair Brown.  This was announced on Thursday, April 1.)  He couldn't say whom at this time since contracts are still floating out there.  But, he said it will be big surprise for us if it happens as he wants it to.
• The casting of Julia is also still pending.  No more news here for the same reason.
• He will have a writing staff and not try to write everything himself.  That staff is pending as well.  (My two cents here - WB has some excellent writers that may be available in the fall.  Drew Goddard, Steve DeKnight and David Fury come to mind. Did I also mention Jamison Selby? That hunky son of David Selby. He wrote the Return to Collinwood radio show seen at last year's Fest.   He'd be a natural.)
• It is going to be filmed in Los Angeles.  (Both Jonathan and I kicked ourselves just slightly here because we forgot to ask what Collinwood would be.  However, we said let's just have some surprises and not get too obsessed with it.)

I am throughly impressed with Mark Verheiden.  He was a very unassuming guy and down to earth.  I believed he was totally sincere about his respect for Dark Shadows.  He appeared to really want to work on this show and make it a good.  I truly believed him when he said it wasn't going to be Dawson's Shadows.  I got the impression if all works out, that he will more or less be the day to day executive producer.  Both Dan Curtis and John Wells have other projects going on.  He is also used to the WB and how they like things.

Therefore, I think it unfair for the long time fans to be critical at this juncture.  Let's see whether or not he lives up to his promise of no Dawson's Shadows before jumping all over it.  I'm looking forward to seeing his writing.  The episodes I've seen so far of Smallville are quite good.

After this meeting, Jonathan and I went and took a break.  He helped me with my notes which was so helpful.