NEWS

New Dead Zone movie?

Posted: June 21, 2008, 23:44
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Anthony Michael Hall talks about a Dead Zone movie:

Anthony Michael Hall, who played psychic Johnny Smith on USA Network's The Dead Zone, told SCI FI Wire that there's talk about a movie and that he'd be open to one, but added that he wasn't particularly optimistic about the possibility. Hall starred for six seasons on the show.

"There's talk about it," Hall said during an interview to promote the just-released DVD set The Dead Zone: The Final Season. "I don't think we had the size of a cult following that, let's say, The X-Files did. You look at Sex and the City or The X-Files, these movies were done long after the shows pumped out their last episodes."

Interestingly, The Dead Zone had a previous incarnation as a 1983 feature film, which starred Christopher Walken as Smith. Some shots of the Dead Zone TV pilot appear to have been borrowed from that film, though the TV show introduced new characters and departed greatly from the movie's premise. Both TV show and movie were based on Stephen King's book of the same name.

In any case, Hall said that he remains grateful for his chance to do the show. "I would certainly be open to the potential for [a reunion feature]," he said. "I would never turn my back on what [the show's late producer] Michael Piller did for me. He gave me this incredible opportunity. When I look back at [my] career, I view him and John Hughes as almost guardian angels of my career."

Piller handpicked Hall to play Smith after watching him play Bill Gates in the cable-television movie Pirates of Silicon Valley. "He and his son, Shawn, were great partners, along with [co-executive producer] Lloyd Segan," Hall said. "These guys, we made it a family affair. ... So I was grateful for the experience, and I would certainly entertain it if they wanted to pursue a film. Am I optimistic about it? Not really, but I certainly wouldn't turn my back on the opportunity." (USA Network is owned by NBC Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM.) --Ian Spelling