The creator of Heroes finally sits down for our long awaited interview and gives some pretty interesting clues as to what fans can expect with the rest of season one.
KK: Were you expecting Heroes to gain the following it has?
TK: Yeah, I mean we had high hopes for the show due to the advertising and internet buzz surrounding the show prior to it’s premiere. I knew based on that we’d get a fan following eventually. When going into these sort of things you have to go in with confidence, you can’t go in thinking the show’s not going to be a success.
KK: Will any of the storylines change now that a full season has been ordered?
TK: No. We were always assuming that it would get picked up for a full season so we wrote the episode accordingly.
KK: How many “heroes” will be added, or is there a limit to how many the show will have?
TK: There will definitely be more. The show suggests that this phenomenon is going on all over the world and that other people have discovered they they have abilities. We will start to see more of these people as the show progresses.
KK: Most people I talk to seem to be confused about the same thing: Niki’s abilities. As the show progresses will we gain a better understanding for exactly what it is she can do?
TK: Asolutely. The whole idea is that most of our characters have understandable powers (flight, time travel, invulnerability, etc), however Niki possesses a very confusing power in her “duality.” Her powers will be explained over the course of the show, and the audience will definitely get a better understanding of what it is she does and how it works.
KK: Will the show ever get guest stars?
TK: Yes. There will be smaller archs in the series. It’s a difficult task servicing the size of cast we have already, but we’re definitely looking into guest stars to appear in the future. Although I can’t say who they will be, or what parts they’ll play.
KK: Since the show seems to hint at our “heroes” eventually crossing paths, will there also be a group of villains at some point?
TK: These people’s lives are all connected in some way, and as the show goes on we will see how. So far we’ve seen Niki and Nathan come together, we’re witnessing Hiro, Peter, and Isaac come together, and soon we’ll see how Claire plays into all of this. We will definitely see more of our “heroes” cross paths as the series continues.
KK: In the Heroes world, how long have there been people with powers. Is this just occurring, or will it come out that they have had these abilities for some time?
TK: Yes, but not for awhile. The pilot episode showed us that Claire had attempted suicide 6 times, so what happened during the other 5 times, and when did they take place? Nathan obviously knows he can fly, and has a pretty good handle on it, so when did he first discover it, and how did he learn to control it.
KK: With the case of the Petrelli brothers it seems as if their powers run in the family. Is this something the show will expand upon more, or is it going to be an isolated incident with these characters?
TK: Well, it definitely seems to be an interesting coincidence that both Petrelli brothers possess the same powers, so I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
KK: Hiro seems to be the only character that has embraced his abilities and somewhat learned how to use them. As the season progresses will we see the other heroes master their abilities? Will Peter ever be able to fly on command?
TK: I wanted these powers to be something that these characters had to learn. I wanted people to feel like they were right there with our characters as they discovered their powers and learned how to use them. If all of our characters could master their powers right off the bat what fun would that be?
KK: We’ve all seen the “S” shaped symbol on Isaac’s paintings and even on the necklace on the mysterious guy in the bar. Will that symbol and it’s significance be explained by the end of the season?
TK: That symbol will have a pretty big impact on the first season.
KK: As of right now how many episodes have been filmed? How many total will there be?
TK: We’ve currently filmed 10 episodes. There will be a total of 23 during the first season.
KK With the success of the show, is there already talk about ideas for a second season?
TK: We’ve talked a lot about the second season, what’s been happening now, and how it will tie into season two. Right now the main focus is on getting thru the first season, but yes there has definitely been some talk about what will happen in a second season.
KK: Regarding the cast, were any of these characters written with these actors in mind, or was it just a good casting director that found such an amazing cast?
TK: None of the characters were written with specific actors in mind. We wanted to assemble a cast of actors that we known, but no so much as to over shadow the characters they were playing. I’ve found that when you cast big name roles for things like this the characters tend to get lost in the people playing them, and that’s not what I wanted to happen. I wanted our characters to be everyday people.
KK: Did any of the current cast members originally audition for different roles?
TK: Yes. Tawney Cypress originally auditioned for the role of Niki. James Kyson Lee originally auditioned for Hiro, but we thought he fit better as Ando. Greg Grunberg came in to audition for Peter, but we ultimately we felt he was perfect for Matt Parkman.
KK: Without giving too much away what can fans expect to happen during the rest of the season?
TK: The continual crossing of paths. How their lives become interconnected. A catastrophic event taking place that becomes a key part to the second part of the first season. Lots and lots of surprises are still in store.
KK: Well Tim thanks a lot for sitting down to chat with us again. We all love the show, and it’s apparent so does the rest of the World too.
TK: Hey thanks a lot for tuning in. It was my pleasure.