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“Wayward Pines” Has Big Ideas On An Intimate Level
In the first season of “Wayward Pines,” from M. Night Shyamalan, the series was shrouded in mystery that ultimately wrapped up by the finale. It was meant to be a one-shot series that left the viewer feeling fulfilled. Yet, the show was so popular that there were immediate reports of a second season, which were quickly shot down.
It came as a shock when Shyamalan and his team reunited for a second season, which is slated to debut on FOX Wednesday, May 25, 2016 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT).
My first reaction was to question the validity behind a continuation of the story, but upon further thought I’m actually intrigued. While the first season was all about the mystery of Wayward Pines, the filmmakers can now tell a story from a different perspective, which is outlined in the above behind-the-scenes video that promises to deliver big ideas on an intimate level. They also tease that we’re going to learn a lot more about the Abbies, which are still a major threat to humanity.
The psychological thriller is based on the rich world created by author Blake Crouch in his international best-selling series of books, so it’ll be interesting to see how faithful the new season is to the novels.
Starring Jason Patric (Rush, Narc), two-time Academy Award nominee Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond, In America), and Emmy Award and Golden Globe nominee Hope Davis (“American Crime,” “The Newsroom”), the 10-episode second season will pick up after the shocking events of Season One, with the residents of Wayward Pines battling against the iron-fisted rule of the First Generation. Dr. Theo Yedlin (Patric) – a new resident of Wayward Pines – awakens from suspended animation and finds himself in the middle of this rebellion, as he tries to understand what Wayward Pines really is and help preserve the endangered human race.
Also joining the second season are cast members Tom Stevens (“Cedar Cove”), returning from Season One as Jason Higgins, a member of the First Generation and Pilcher’s young acolyte; Nimrat Kaur (“Homeland”) as Rebecca, who has her own secrets she keeps from Theo, her husband; Josh Helman (Mad Max: Fury Road, X-Men: Days of Future Past) as Xander, a resident working to undermine Wayward Pines from within; and Kacey Rohl (“Hannibal”) as Kerry, one of Jason’s lieutenants in the civil war going on in Wayward Pines.
Additionally, several Season One cast members will appear in Season Two, including Carla Gugino (Kate Hewson), Toby Jones (DR. Jenkins/David Pilcher), Melissa Leo (Nurse Pam), Tim Griffin (Adam Hassler), Shannyn Sossamon (Thersa Burke), and Charlie Tahan (Ben Burke).
The best part about engaging with collaborative genre fiction on the internet is that anyone can get in on the action, with worldwide accessibility often resulting in absurd story beats that wouldn’t be possible if any single person was responsible for the entire narrative. And while Kane Parsons’ Backrooms film is definitely the young filmmaker’s own unique take on the infamous creepypasta, it’s fun to see other creators join the Backrooms sandbox now that the big screen adaptation is getting ready for a record-shattering opening weekend.
As if cleverly timed releases like Puppet Combo’s The Backrooms game weren’t enough (not to mention that Scary Movie poster poking fun at Parsons’ flick), McDonald’s official social media accounts have now released an analog horror video of their own celebrating the liminal terrors of the McRooms – complete with a familiar purple surprise at the end of the footage.
While it’s funny enough to see the world’s most recognizable Fast Food giant engage with internet-borne Found Footage thrills seemingly out of the blue, the video is actually referencing a long-running gag among the Backrooms fandom where creators jokingly talk about there being a fully functional McDonald’s restaurant hidden somewhere in level 0 of the infamous liminal labyrinth.
Now, would it be too much to hope for a moist-carpet-flavored McShake to tie in with the film?
Backrooms is now playing only in theaters from A24.
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