Movies
Kevin Bacon’s ‘Tremors’ Character is an Alcoholic with a Hero Complex
Syfy has officially ordered a pilot for a potential new “Tremors” series that would bring Kevin Bacon back as Valentine McKee, the Nevada handyman who tussles with gigantic man-eating sandworms. Bacon had stated that his interest in returning was in his reflection of the character, wondering, “what happens after you’ve become an accidental hero 25 years later?”
There’s some clarity, with Variety explaining that the killer Graboid worms that nearly destroyed the small town of Perfection, Nevada 25 years ago are back and the town’s only hope for survival is Valentine McKee (Bacon) who beat them once but to do it again, he’ll have to overcome age, alcohol and a delusional hero complex. The movie revolved around natives of the town who have to defend themselves against strange underground creatures that are killing them one by one.
Bacon commented on the official announcement:
“This is the only character I’ve played that I’ve ever thought about revisiting,” Bacon said. “I just got to thinking, where would this guy end up after 25 years? Andrew Miller has a fantastic take on it and we hope to create a show that will be fun and scary for fans of the movie and folks that have yet to discover it. Let’s kick some Graboid ass!”
Miller, who created CW’s “The Secret Circle,” penned the pilot and will serve as showrunner and executive producer, alongside Bacon and David Schiff. Universal Cable Productions is producing with Blumhouse Television. The project has been floating around for quite some time; UCP first put the project into development without a network attached back in late 2015.
The pilot is the second go at a “Tremors” series for Syfy — back in 2003, the network, which was then named Sci-Fi Channel, aired a show named “Tremors: The Series,” though Bacon was not involved and the drama only lasted for 13 episodes.
Movies
‘Backrooms’ Director Kane Parsons Is No Fan of Generative AI: “Defeats the Purpose Entirely for Me”
There has been a lot of talk recently about filmmakers embracing generative AI as part of the filmmaking process, from Darren Aronofsky to Martin Scorsese. But what about filmmakers that are against the use of Gen AI for creative pursuits? You can count 20-year-old Backrooms director Kane Parsons among that group, which should give you some hope for the future.
In a new chat with The Australian, the self-taught young filmmaker makes it crystal clear that he won’t be using generative AI in any of his upcoming filmmaking projects.
“I think I’m in the same boat as most well-adjusted people,” Parsons tells the outlet. “If I could snap my fingers and make generative AI disappear forever, I probably would. Creatively, I get no enjoyment from using those tools. It defeats the purpose entirely for me.”
“What interests me more is interrogating it artistically,” Parsons notes. “We already live in a world where you walk outside and there are billboards and signs that are obvious AI slop. That’s become part of our visual reality. To me, generative AI feels less like innovation than a symptom of a broader cultural and economic rot.”
He explains, “I’m interested in using that iconography in art – not using AI to make the art itself, but examining what it represents. I definitely want to explore it further in future projects.”
Kane Parsons also notes during the interview with The Australian, “… there’s so much at stake and so many genuinely harmful consequences already happening.”
Backrooms marks young prodigy Kane Parsons’ feature directorial debut, and it’s based on his own series of YouTube videos that were brought to life using Blender, the open-source 3D computer graphics software suite. So it’s no surprise that Parsons, who has hand-made his filmmaking career up to this point, isn’t buying into the hoopla around Generative AI.
His debut feature is the #1 movie in the world, so perhaps he’s onto something.
What’s next from Kane Parsons, you ask? Stay tuned…
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