Heroes: Origins
I’m writing and directing one of the Heroes: Origins episodes.
News of this leaked out over the past few weeks — it even shows up on my IMDb page — but it wasn’t official until quite recently, so I didn’t want to blog about it.
For those who haven’t been obsessively following All Things Heroes, Origins is an anthology series that takes place in the same universe as Heroes, but doesn’t correlate directly to the main season’s plotlines.1 Modeled after shows like The Twilight Zone, each week’s episode stands on its own, with new characters and self-contained situations.
I’m being careful not to say too much, because it’s not my show. It’s Tim Kring’s show. I’m just delighted to get to muck around in it.
How did I get the gig? I asked. Repeatedly. From the moment it was first announced, I knew I wanted to do one. I love writing one-hour dramas — act breaks are amazing tools — but I didn’t want to write a pilot this season. And it’s almost impossible for a writer to drop in for just one episode of an ongoing series. Not only is it like trying to grab a moving train, but it would ruin all the enjoyment of watching one of my favorite shows.
So, an anthology series is incredibly appealing. I’m grateful they said yes.
Kevin Smith, Eli Roth and Michael Dougherty have already been announced for the series. The plan as I understand it is to air all of the Origins episodes after the main season concludes. (So, April?) With looming labor uncertainty, I don’t want to assume that calendars are set in stone. In fact, everything these days feels a little bit wobbly. But I’ve already enjoyed plotting out my episode with the Heroes folk, and look forward to shooting it. Fingers crossed.
- And when I say “directly,” I should probably say, “at all.” I have no idea what’s going to be happening this season. ↩
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October 11th, 2007 at 5:08 am
I´m curious to know what a writer on strike would do with his newfound time? Write?
October 11th, 2007 at 5:19 am
Fiddle with his plot lines.
October 11th, 2007 at 5:32 am
Congrats, John! Hope it turns out to be a lot of fun.
October 11th, 2007 at 5:50 am
Eli Roth? Are misogyny and torture super-powers now?
October 11th, 2007 at 6:21 am
I am so envious. Living in the UK I’ve only seen the first series of Heroes. But I lapped up every episode like a dog on a hot day. It’s nice to see Television Science Fiction reinventing itself the way that comic books did. I can’t wait to see your episode, but I hope you look again at creating your own pilot next season. Some one has to fight back against the reality TV and bland sitcoms.
October 11th, 2007 at 6:44 am
Very cool, congrats John!
It will be very interesting to see what the Origins episodes turn out to be. I knew Kevin Smith was directing one and I really enjoyed the Reaper pilot he directed, but knowing that you will also write and direct an episode makes things really exciting.
Keep us updated on how things progress =)
October 11th, 2007 at 8:21 am
How does something like that work? Did you go to them with a pitch? Did you have to have a fully realized character/story before you went to a meeting with them? Did you have several ideas for them to choose from? Or did you go in a blank slate and just start tossing ideas around?
October 11th, 2007 at 8:34 am
John August and Heroes? Outstanding. Two of my favorite things, together, like reeces peeces peanut butter cups.
Hopefully, with the Origins format, you’ll be able to shuck the series’ most awkward device…the in-episode flashbacks. Can’t they learn to just trust the audience?
October 11th, 2007 at 8:59 am
I’m not a fan of Heroes (at all), but grats on the gig! Just remember that Season 1 managed to work, so don’t get too picky with your writing for Origins if you don’t need to. Any plot holes or throwaway fractions of an episode won’t be noticed by fans of the show. As long as it’s fun to watch if you’re not paying too much attention, you’ll be staying true to Heroes.
Congrats and good luck!
October 11th, 2007 at 9:27 am
I think the episodes will air during the mid-season break, not after the main season ends. The reason is that last year the show’s ratings were down a little after the series returned from its break.
October 11th, 2007 at 9:27 am
This is fantastic! I’ve been very excited for Origins, and this just adds that much more.
October 11th, 2007 at 10:28 am
Awesome! Keep us posted on juicy news!
October 11th, 2007 at 11:20 am
I also thought I remembered reading that viewers can vote on their favorite new character and he/she will become a part of the main show.
Incidentally, if that’s true, how would compensation rights work for a character you created for a show that you didn’t?
October 11th, 2007 at 11:40 am
Jonathan (#13):
I haven’t heard any further mention of that after the initial announcement. That may be something that gets decided closer to launch.
October 11th, 2007 at 12:14 pm
Great News John! Go out there, have fun and save the world!
October 11th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
Hey, John!
Will it be allowed to you to publish the script for your episode online after it airs?
October 11th, 2007 at 3:27 pm
I was a big fan of Heroes last year right up until the finale, truly one of the worst season finales any tv show has ever had. It was badly written, badly acted, full of gaping plot-holes and anti-climatic to the point of sin. The second season has been an underwhelming bore and I think fans and ratings are quickly disappearing for the show (the writing has been god-awful… maybe they should have hired you to fix that).
I have to say that at this point, I’m much more excited about Origins than the flagship series, especially on this news. Best of luck to you, and I really hope this franchise still has life by the time they get the Origins stuff to air.
October 11th, 2007 at 3:54 pm
Great news, John! I’m a fan of Heroes, but I wasn’t really looking forward to the whole Origins “spinoff.” Now I am!
October 11th, 2007 at 8:48 pm
Hi, John! I’m a brazillian fan of you and your excelent work. Big Fish is one of my favorites movies. The script is so perfect! Thanks for giving me an amazing movie!
And I’m very excited about you and Heroes Origins. I’m very anxious to see the episode that you’ll write and direct. I expect an excelent job, because we’re talking about John August, right?
Take care!
October 12th, 2007 at 3:36 am
Wow!
That is freaking awesome news!
I’m so envious of you and you deserve every damn bit of it ;)
Good luck!
October 12th, 2007 at 3:45 am
Congratulations John! I love Heroes but like some others i wasn’t really that bothered about the Origins episodes..until now! :)
October 12th, 2007 at 10:45 am
wow, sweet! congrats! that’s pretty exciting, I was a little dubious about the origins thing, but it seems like there is some solid talent heading this up, so this should be exciting. Kevin Smith will have tons of fun with this ;)
October 12th, 2007 at 6:11 pm
Incidentally, if that’s true, how would compensation rights work for a character you created for a show that you didn’t?
I don’t know the specifics, but I do know that the writers who created Heather Locklear’s Amanda character on “Melrose Place” were compensated in some way for every episode she appeared in after she debuted. Which would have amounted to a lot of money, given she was a regular cast member from then on.
And Glen Morgan & James Wong were also paid every time the characters of The Lone Gunmen appeared on “The X-Files” after they created them in a script they wrote for that show. Presumably they were also compensated when the spin-off series “The Lone Gunmen” was created without them.
October 13th, 2007 at 12:53 am
I’m watching season one on dvd. Now, I understands the abstract concept of a man skilled in understanding the fine workings of a complex piece of machinery applying his talent to another complex apparatus, like, say the human brain, but how does it really work? It’s one thing to open a watch and tweak some cogs, but to remove a person’s cranium, peer into their skull and SHAZAM! you got their powers? I don’t get it.
October 13th, 2007 at 12:59 am
It’s one thing to open a watch and tweak some cogs, but to remove a person’s cranium, peer into their skull and SHAZAM! you got their powers? I don’t get it.
1) It’s a super hero series
2) Points for mentioning SHAZAM!
October 13th, 2007 at 1:12 am
I hear you, Keith, but, like any good superhero story, HEROES follows a specific set of rules, i.e. once you accept the idea that changes in people’s genes can supply them with supernatural skills, everything that follows makes sense in that universe. Sylar’s powers seem too much of a conceit, they just don’t “ring true” in the world created by Tom Kring.
October 13th, 2007 at 1:25 am
October 13th, 2007 at 7:03 am
To Johnny (#24,26,27), there are plenty of Heroes sites where people will be more than happy to talk mythology with you, that’s not really what this site is for. However, just for the record, even 3 episodes into season 2 it has never been revealed how Sylar steals powers from others, so I’m not sure how you can judge it as a “conceit” just yet…. since you can’t possibly know how it works.
October 13th, 2007 at 9:52 am
rick - Firstly, my question is writing related, last time I checked John’s site is about all things screenwiting. Given that he’s about to direct an episode that plays in the Heroes universe, I figured he might have some insight into the matter. Furthermore, I can very well deem Sylar’s powers a conceit for the very reason you state: I don’t know how it works. Why? Because it has not been explained. You’d figure the source of power – of the main villain nevertheless – would have been addressed three episodes into season two.
Now that we’ve discussed the topic you told me not to discuss but then proceeded to discuss yourself, let’s talk about you… Mommy not love you enough? She urge you to make more of yourself? To be special? To—Wait a sec… GABRIEL?!
October 13th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
Wow, somebody’s a little defensive.
October 13th, 2007 at 7:39 pm
action – reaction
October 15th, 2007 at 3:43 am
John,
Do you already have a story and a character mapped out? Or do they give you a character?
Thank you!
October 18th, 2007 at 7:58 am
I pitched the story and characters before I got the gig, so, yes. I do know what I’ll be writing. Without giving away too much, my story has the opportunity to include other characters from the Heroes universe, but it’s not clear whether that will happen.
October 19th, 2007 at 8:57 am
That is great, John, thank you for the info. Will they allow you to publish the script afterwards on your site?
October 27th, 2007 at 1:27 pm
Dude…good going Johnnie.
Writing for anything like the TWILIGHT ZONE is heaven for a writer.
Been watching some of the old TZ episodes again..and the half hour ones hold up! They just do.
Will eventually put my own anthology deal together, maybe keep it simple and get it up on the web.
Good luck with the show.
MARK11
December 19th, 2007 at 3:13 am
Hey all So i guess there will be no heroes:origins now then huh? bit of a shame i come from australia and im hanging out to see the next chapter of season 2…. would be a good thing to give other characters the spotlight and then gradually intergrate them into the show