Writer David Wilcox Talks 666 Park Avenue

Steve Barton |

Jun 7, 2012

Source Name:

Variety

Source Url:

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118054796

Post Thumb:

/may12/666pa.jpg

Horror on TV has never been hotter, and everyone is scrambling to find the next big scary thing. Writer David Wilcox, who’s worked on “Law & Order,” ABC’s “Life on Mars,” and Fox’s “Fringe,” recently talked about how latest project, “666 Park Avenue”, relates to the book and lots more.

According to Variety, when Wilcox met with Alloy Entertainment execs about adapting the book series 666 Park Avenue into a primetime series for ABC, he was encouraged to use the tomes as a jumping off point, not a blueprint. “They were very comfortable in departing from the book. I read the book and there are some interesting ideas in there, but I was encouraged to tell a very different story,” Wilcox says of the series, which landed on ABC’s fall schedule in the 10:00 PM Sunday timeslot.

He retained the title and some character names but not much else. “The book is about witches on Park Avenue,” Wilcox says. “The TV show takes place on Park Avenue, and that’s about it (for similarities).”

For Wilcox this new series blends elements from his past efforts to make a supernatural soap with influences from the horror genre (think Rosemary’s Baby, The Omen, The Shining).

What it won’t have is a mythology as complicated as “Fringe.” The concept that sold ABC on the “666 Park Avenue” pilot is its story of people who make Faustian bargains.

“The idea is that everyone has some sort of innate desire or ambition, and when they move into 666 Park Avenue, the answer to their need, desire or ambition will be presented,” Wilcox says. “The show is about seduction and about wish fulfillment, but with the be-careful-what-you-wish-for dark side of that.”

“666 Park Avenue” will air at 10:00 PM on Sundays. For more info visit the official “666 Park Avenue” website, “like” “666 Park Avenue” on Facebook, and follow “666 Park Avenue” on Twitter (#666ParkAve).

Synopsis:
At the ominous address of 666 Park Avenue, anything you desire can be yours. Everyone has needs, desires, and ambition. For the residents of The Drake, these will all be met, courtesy of the building’s mysterious owner, Gavin Doran (Terry O’Quinn). But every Faustian contract comes with a price. When Jane Van Veen (Rachael Taylor) and Henry Martin (Dave Annable), an idealistic young couple from the Midwest, are offered the opportunity to manage the historic building, they not only fall prey to the machinations of Doran and his mysterious wife, Olivia (Vanessa Williams), but unwittingly begin to experience the shadowy, supernatural forces within the building that imprison and endanger the lives of the residents inside. Sexy, seductive, and inviting, The Drake maintains a dark hold over all of its residents, tempting them through their ambitions and desires, in this chilling new drama that’s home to an epic struggle of good versus evil.

“666 Park Avenue” stars Rachael Taylor (“Charlie’s Angels,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” Transformers) as Jane Van Veen, Dave Annable (“Brothers & Sisters,” “Reunion”) as Henry Martin, Robert Buckley (“One Tree Hill,” “Lipstick Jungle”) as Brian Leonard, Mercedes Masöhn (“The Finder,” “Chuck,” “Three Rivers”) as Louise Leonard, Helena Mattsson (Iron Man 2, “Nikita,” “Desperate Housewives”) as Alexis Blume, and Samantha Logan as Nona Clark with Vanessa Williams (“Desperate Housewives,” “Ugly Betty,” Shaft, Soul Food) as Olivia Doran and Terry O’Quinn (“Lost,” “Millennium,” “Hawaii Five-0,” “Alias,” “The West Wing,” “Jag”) as Gavin Doran.

Based on the book series by Gabriella Pierce, “666 Park Avenue” was written by David Wilcox (“Fringe,” “Life on Mars”), who is also an executive producer along with Matthew Miller (“Chuck,” “Human Target”), Leslie Morgenstein (“Gossip Girl,” “The Vampire Diaries,” “Pretty Little Liars,” “The Lying Game,” “The Secret Circle,” The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants), Gina Girolamo (“The Secret Circle,” “The Lying Game”), and Alex Graves (“Fringe,” “The West Wing”). The pilot for “666 Park Avenue” was directed by Alex Graves. “666 Park Avenue” is from Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Alloy Entertainment (“Gossip Girl,” “The Vampire Diaries,” “Pretty Little Liars”) and Warner Bros. Television.