NBC's new drama from Gravity's Alfonso Cuaron, Believe, will take full advantage of the Oscar winner's mastery of visual style and storytelling, said showrunner Jonas Pate in an exclusive interview with Blastr.
“We can safely say there is nothing like Believe on network television. Alfonso Cuaron's visual style has seeped itself deep into the bones of this show in a magnificent and extraordinary way. But perhaps even more special than his visual style is the little girl he created, and the girl this show revolves around, Bo,” said Pate. Cuaron won this year's Academy Award for Best Achievement in Directing for his work on Gravity with Sandra Bullock.
“What makes Bo so special? A lot. Her supernatural abilities, her insight into people's struggles, her foresight into dangerous situations, and her determined belief that everyone - no matter who they are or where they're from - has the ability to change and be good,” he said.
The series comes from J.J. Abrams and creators Cuaron and Mark Friedman, and stars Johnny Sequoyah as the mysterious Bo and Jake McLaughlin as her protector, Tate.
“We can't wait to introduce the world to this powerful little girl. A lot of people believe she will change the world, and those believers will do anything to protect her. Protect her from what, from who? Protect her from the organizations and individuals that want to exploit her and use her remarkable abilities for evil rather than good,” said Pate.
The series will follow Tate, a wrongfully imprisoned death row inmate, who's been broken out of jail by people who believe he is meant to be Bo's protector. These “True Believers” have safeguarded the orphaned Bo for years from outsiders who would use her powers for personal gain. But now, Bo's abilities have become even more powerful and Tate may be the only one who can save her. Tate and Bo begin traveling from city to city just a step ahead of the sinister forces after the little girl, along the way changing everyone they meet forever.
As for what themes the series will delve into, expect “power, destiny, forgiveness, redemption, hope,” said Pate.
While Pate is thrilled with the direction his new series is going in, they've been challenged to “create a unique, high-concept backdrop that people haven't seen before while simultaneously grounding our characters in real, emotional stories,” he said. In other words, trying to create Gravity-style imagery and storytelling on a TV budget.
“We hope the world greets Bo into their homes with open arms just like we did. We hope the world sees how special she is and how special she will soon be. We hope that everyone starts to believe in Bo as much as we do,” said Pate.
After tonight's premiere, Believe moves to Sundays at 9 PM on NBC.
Do you think this will be another Alfonso Cuaron masterpiece, albeit on a smaller TV-sized scale?
Posts
