Kevin Bacon Lands Lead Role In Kevin Williamson Serial Killer FOX Pilot

Kevin Bacon has landed the plum role in Kevin Williamson’s FOX drama pilot, marking the actor’s first major series role.

The untitled project, from Warner Bros TV and Williamson’s studio-based Outerbanks Entertainment, is described as:

“An edge-of-the-seat thriller about a diabolical serial killer who uses technology to create a cult of serial killers, and a retired FBI profiler (Bacon) who finds himself in the middle of it.”

Bacon’s casting comes with a twist, however, as the actor has only committed to doing 15 episodes a season as opposed to the standard 22 for a broadcast series.

That eases his schedule, allowing him to do multiple features per year and spend time with his family. As noted by Deadline, it also plays into the network’s strategy of finding new ways for airing shows, which FOX entertainment president Kevin Reilly talked about at last month’s press tour.

Shorter cable seasons are often noted as attributing to high quality and more focused storytelling, so it’s interesting to see FOX dip their toes into something that might..might help more serialized dramas thrive on the network, should this become a more common feature. (of course, the shorter vs longer season debate will run and run, and this isn’t to say that serials can’t thrive over 22 per season episodes.)

Marcos Siega will direct the pilot, written and executive produced by Williamson, co-creator/executive producer of the CW’s Vampire Diaries and Secret Circle.

As for the seriability of the the project? Time will tell, but it’s said to have whiffs of of 24. The outline sounds interesting enough, particularly the integration of technology in the central plot. We’ll keep you posted.

Source: Deadline

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