Exclusive: Glen Mazzara Talks Mid-Season Scares for Damien
Steve Barton
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With “Damien” kicking ass and taking names (he has so many names) for A&E, we checked in with showrunner Glen Mazzara to get the scoop on fan reaction to the series and what’s next for everyone’s favorite Antichrist!
Be warned… if you’re not completely caught up with the show, there are a few spoilers below.
“I think fans were surprised by ‘Damien,’” says Mazzara. “A lot of people were expecting something a bit more campy like “Lucifer,” but that was never on our agenda. We’re trying to basically serve up a horror movie in ten parts. People are really getting it. It’s exciting to see how nuts the fans get on Twitter. The thing I feel greatest about is everything comes together in the season finale. Episodes 7 and 8 continue to get darker and crazier, and then 9 and 10… they’re just absolutely bonkers and incredibly well directed. All the storylines we’ve set up are about to start paying off… and things will be put in motion for Season 2. It’s all there, man. I cannot wait for people to see it!”
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Mazzara gets into detail regarding where the titular character is right now in Season 1. “Damien has spent so much of his time avoiding something that he feels in his gut is true. He’s been on the run, he’s been in hiding… Now the running has to stop. In the beginning of the season Damien approached his situation like anyone would… as a problem he needs to gather information to try and solve. But then in the fifth episode, “Seven Curses,” he comes face to face with the supernatural. He learns that he is the Antichrist and that Hell follows behind him. At that point he decides he doesn’t want to carry that cross, and he attempts suicide. However, that doesn’t work; he cannot kill himself. From here on we’re going to see a Damien who knows that now what he’s been fearing is true. He’s not crazy or hallucinating. He knows he can’t run anymore so now he’s like, ‘Okay, well, what am I going to do about this?’ We’re about to see Damien taking action to get ahead of this. He has no choice but to run head-first into the storm. You’re going to see him being pushed to a breaking point over the next several episodes. The noose just keeps getting tighter and tighter around his neck, and believe me… it’s going to be really exciting seeing it all come together.”
Mazzara always wanted this show to be socially conscious… and that’s the realistic direction he wants to maintain in the series. “A lot of times what happens in horror films is that people have a tendency to buy into a supernatural explanation for things a little too easily, and then you start playing by those type of rules. Damien is an atheist. He doesn’t believe in any god or a devil, so for him to come to the realizations he must accept, he has to be confronted with both his inner and the external demons that surround and encompass him. He’s a war photographer who faces true horrors as a means to try and connect with people. There’s some stuff coming up that’s very reminiscent of things that have happened in this world. We take the realistic approach to telling his story very seriously. We want people to be frightened and entertained, but if the audience can come away also thinking that, ‘Ya know, that’s like something that’s currently happening in the news… what’s really happening in the world…’ then we have done our job as artists.”
In terms of the possibility of a Season 2…
“The fans online are so enthusiastic. That kind of rabid fandom is important to any new show. We hope to see that base continue to grow. I think once people hear about the finale and how everything ties together that there’ll be a surge of new viewers who’ve been basically waiting to binge-watch the series. It’s crazy, though; I don’t think anybody expected the fans to embrace this show as quickly as they have. A&E and Fox love the show… they’re fans of it, so I’m hopeful of a second season. I would love to get the writers together to start working again. I have a lot of ideas, setup and payoffs, new things… we have such a great cast, and I have so many new ways to torture them in mind!”
About “Damien”:
“Damien” follows the adult life of Damien Thorn, the mysterious child from the 1976 horror film The Omen, who has grown up seemingly unaware of the satanic forces around him. Haunted by his past, Damien must now come to terms with his true destiny — that he is the Antichrist. The saga begins when Damien, an acclaimed war photographer, returns home to New York after experiencing a traumatic event while on assignment in Syria. Strange occurrences and flashbacks plague him, and he is then forced to confront his true identity.
“Damien” stars Bradley James (“Merlin,” “Homeland”) along with Oscar® nominee Barbara Hershey (“Once Upon a Time”), Omid Abtahi (“Better Call Saul”), Megalyn E.K. (“House of Lies”), Scott Wilson (“The Walking Dead”), David Meunier (“Justified”), and Robin Weigert (“Sons of Anarchy”).
“Damien” is produced by Fox 21 Television Studios for A&E Network. Glen Mazzara (“The Walking Dead,” “The Shield”) serves as writer and executive producer via his 44 Strong Productions. Ross Fineman, who developed the project alongside Mazzara, executive produces through his company, Fineman Entertainment. Pancho Mansfield also serves as executive producer.
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