Steven Spielberg‘s new alien invasion series Falling Skies is set to land summer 2011, but unlike some of the other serial shows debuting next year, TNT decided to bring Skies to Comic-Con along with a promotional trailer to help get the word out.
But what did we learn about the show, and is it the the next serial obsession to invade our screens? To help you to form an early opinion, Head past the jump where we detail the 16 Things You Need To Know About Falling Skies.
The Characters
Noah Wyle plays Tom Mason, a college professor with a family who have been torn apart by the alien invasion. His wife was killed in the initial attack and one of his three sons is missing. Tom, a college professor, uses his extensive knowledge of the American Revolution to help him lead his people and devise a strategy to take down the aliens. As the struggle goes on, he begins to become more physical in his approach – a transformation indicative of his battle to lead his group of survivors to safety.
Moon Bloodgood plays a paediatrician. She lost her husband and child in the invasion. Bloodgood describes her as: “a mother type, very empathetic. Always wanting more peace than violence”.
The Trailer
Starts with a child’s voice-over as he narrates the chaos of the alien attack. Flying saucers are seen blowing up buildings, inter-cut with a child’s drawing of the alien saucers coming down from the sky. There’s also a drawing of the “jagged-toothed green aliens swarming”. The child says the aliens didn’t want to be friends. One of Tom’s kids tells him that wants everything to go back the way it was before the invasion. Tom assures him things will get better. The military leader, played by Will Patton, warns that the cities are not safe and says the best chance of survival is to split up and hide. There are more obscure shots of the aliens, along with lots of explosions and quick action shots.
It’s About Humanity
While the alien invasion sets the stage, the focus seems to be on humanity and how the remaining survivors hold on to their humanity in the face of conflict.
After The Invasion
The main story takes place 6 months after the alien invasion. The audience will enter the story with the main characters already integrated into the struggle. I would imagine that this will make for some potentially interesting narrative choices in terms of how the backstory to the invasion and the immediate aftermath is filled in.
The Invaders
It looks like we wont get a good look at the aliens – at least not immediately. The story is set to focus on the human-aspect while using the invasion to serve as an introspective device into the human condition. But it’s been suggested that the aliens have more than two legs and are difficult to kill from range.
Their Objective
The producers know why the invaders are on Earth, and what they want, but they’re keeping it close to their chests for now. Very wise.
Only 20% Remain
80% of the earth’s population has been wiped out by the alien invasion, along with the world’s power grid and much of the technology. In effect, the reset button has been pushed, forcing the survivors to revert back to an almost baser level.
Themes
We’ve mentioned humanity, but another of the more intriguing themes is the loss of innocence which will be explored through the children – do they join the fight, or should they be allowed to be children? Another prominent theme will be the idea of starting over and how civilization copes with building from scratch under terrible conditions. So it seems that Skies shares a little something with Spielberg’s other new series, Terra Nova, in that respect.
Follow The Leader
The producers revealed there would be struggles for leadership. particularly between regular civilians, such as Tom and the resistance’s military leader.
Sweet Romance
There will be potential romance between Tom and Bloodgood’s character, but there coming together is tempered by the fact that they have both lost people they love in the invasion.
The Aim
The survivors want to find their loved ones – those still alive, or unaccounted for – while striving to take back power from the alien rulers.
Production
The Pilot is complete and they are busying working on the rest of the series.
Special Effects
It’s thought that the SFX will be spectacular, but will be used intelligently – to facilitate the story rather than being used for the sake of using it.
Message
While the story lives in a fairly grim space, the suggestion is that Skies will evoke positive emotions in the audience. According to producer Mark Verheiden: ”It’s not a show about people tearing each other apart. That’s not a show we wanted to do”.
Title
Falling Skies is a fairly obvious reference point to the alien invasion, but the series was originally going to be called “Concord“, drawing parallels with the American Revolution. But the producers felt the title would limit the narrative; they believe the show will go well beyond comparisons to a military conflict.
Overall Plan
The producers said that the show is planned out, so they know how it will end and what narrative turns they need to take to get there. The fun part will be what happens along the way – suggesting there will be a measure of flexibility. Each season will be comprised of 9 or 10 episodes, airing over the summer.
[sources: spinoffonline, io9]
Here’s the Falling Skies synopsis:
In FALLING SKIES, Wyle stars as a former college professor who becomes the leader of a group of soldiers and civilians struggling against an occupying alien force. Bloodgood co-stars as Anne Glass, a therapist who works with the surviving children to help them cope with the traumatic situation. The series also stars Drew Roy (Lincoln Heights) as Hal and Maxim Knight (Brothers & Sisters) as Matt, Tom’s two sons; and Seychelle Gabriel (Weeds) as Lourdes, an orphaned teenager who helps run the group’s commissary. Will Patton (Armageddon, TNT’s Into the West) plays a fierce leader of the resistance.
Falling Skies premieres summer 2011 on TNT.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Looks like I know what I’ll be watching next summer. The show sounds awesome!
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Hey Austin,
I’m slowly warming up to Falling Skies. Definitely one to keep an eye on as we draw closer!
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