By Kenn Gold
|
|
|
Author Tom Sniegoski signs autographs in the ABC Family booth at Comic-Con 2007. |
Author Tom Sniegoski wrote the young adult book series upon which ABC Family’s Fallen mini-series is based. The first two hours of the movie aired last summer, and that first film, along with the final four hours will be broadcast this weekend. Tom recently sat down with MediaBlvd Magazine to discuss the mini-series, and his multiple other on-going projects.
Sniegoski is very pleased with the ABC Family adaptation of his work. “They deviated greatly, but at the same time I felt that it kept the tone and that’s what impressed me the most,” he said. “You really have to develop this mindset where you literally step back from your property, you really just have to separate yourself and hope that even if they change all kinds of stuff, that they at least make a decent film.” He feels that ABC Family went far beyond that with Fallen.
However, one aspect that disappointed Sniegoski involves the motivations of Lucifer Morningstar between the books and movies. He describes the point of the books this way- “It’s a story about forgiveness. Even somebody who you believe is the most horrible nasty person in the world can be forgiven, and might want to be forgiven. It’s very very simple if you just go through all the books. These characters are really sorry for something that they did a very long time ago, and are waiting for that chance to put that stuff behind them and get on with whatever existence they have for themselves. And this kid, Aaron Corbett, is the tool of redemption. It’s actually God saying ‘You’ve suffered enough, here is your chance to come home’. In the simplest way possible, it’s all about forgiveness.”
“I didn’t really mind it when I was watching it,” he went on to add about the Lucifer portrayal in the films. “It was interesting, it was fun, and I liked the way they wrapped things up. But I felt that by making Lucifer the villain, the whole point of the book series was gone just in that portrayal of that character.” However, Sniegoski was very pleased with the choice of Bryan Cranston (Malcom In The Middle) to portray Lucifer. “I read that in Variety. I kind of sat for a minute and thought about it. It’s obvious that he’s a very good actor from Malcolm.” But Tom did end up having to defend that choice to his friends. “Now that I’ve seen it, I can back it up even more. When you first see the character, he’s very nice and fatherly. I thought that was a wonderful take on the character,” he said.
{quote_top}The similarities between angels dueling with swords of fire to the Star Wars universe and light saber duals are not entirely unintentional in the films. “I had heard after they had made the first film, a couple of the creative people kept repeating ‘We’ve got to make it like Star Wars’. You can see kind of that influence in the next 4 hours,” said Tom. One particular fiery sword battle sequence towards the end of the movie will likely remind people even more of Star Wars, given the relationship between the combatants, and the back-story behind the battle.
Sniegoski was also impressed with the special effects for the next 4 hours of the movie adaptation, and thinks that it might make sense for ABC Family to consider taking the show to a weekly series. “I thought the effects were a little more polished and interesting looking at the new movies. After watching those movies, they really left it wide open for a series. If they can keep that energy level and style and keep it up as an hour series each week, they’d have a hit on their hands. You could introduce a new threat in a heartbeat,” he said.
One question that Tom is often asked at book signings is ‘Where is the creator in the Fallen Universe?’ “It’s almost as if the creator has just thrown all the pieces on the game board and is letting them fight it out amongst themselves. It’s almost the whole free will thing- he’s giving them the choice to do the right thing,” he says. “In the book series, you can tell that there almost is some kind of master plan. With Aaron’s creation alone, to allow the fallen to be forgiven shows some kind of forethought on the creator’s part.“
Tom would like to write more books for the Fallen series, if he can ever find the time. ”I had every intention, but was kind of sucked into other things,” he said. “Simon and Schuster never really got behind the series, like I thought that they should have. It’s funny because I keep in contact with the people over there to tell them about these movies and things, and it’s almost like it’s the first time I’m telling them, every time I contact them; like, ‘Oh really, there’s movies?’ Jesus, I called you four months ago and told you this,” he laughs. “I would love to do at least 3 more books, taking up the story from where I left it. Because I kind of set things up at the end of the 4th book for the next chapters. At the same time, it could be a relatively satisfactory ending [for the 4th book], but I’d love to just visit the characters again.”
{quote_middle}The 2nd book in the Fallen series, Leviathan, is almost a stand alone story using the same characters as the first book. “I wanted to write a disgusting monster book,” he said, and chose to do it within the Fallen series. “The reason I introduced the Leviathan element is that the monster was left to do what he was doing in that town because the Powers were totally distracted by the Nephelim and hunting down Aaron. So you had this great other worldly threat that had a chance of doing some serious damage to the planet that was being completely ignored.” Sniegoski says there isn’t meant to be a hidden political message in his work. “I would make myself sound a lot smarter if I said it was. I like my big operatic chaos vs. order, good vs. evil thing. Very rarely am I thinking ‘I’m going to make a statement here- No one wants to hear my frigging statement’, he laughs. “I just want to tell good stories with good characters and have somebody say, I had a blast reading that. That’s like money in the bank to me.”
|
|
|
Tom describes his new seires, Billy Hooten: Owl Boy, at Comic-Con 2007. |
Tom’s latest work to hit book stores last Tuesday is the Billy Hooten, Owl Boy series. Books one and two were released at the same time. The series centers around 12 years old Billy Hooten, who lives near a cemetery, and goes to investigate when he hears someone screaming. “Billy is very much me growing up- the odd kid obsessed with monster movies and science fiction,” says Sniegoski. Billy ends up finding a creature named Archibald, who is being attacked by a pig headed monster. When Billy saves the day, he learns that Archibald has come to Earth looking for the lost protector of an underground world called Monster City. This protector, named Owl Boy, disappeared years ago, and chaos has reigned since. Billy ends up taking on the mantle of Owl Boy, in the city where the laws of physics don’t apply, and the fantastic can be made reality if you believe. “The whole point of the book is if you believe in it, you can be the hero,” says Sniegoski. Eric Powell, famous for his work on The Goon series of graphic novels, did the illustrations for the book. “The illustrations are just gorgeous and they compliment the book so much. I’m really proud of them,” says Tom.
Another book, A Kiss Before The Apocalypse, to be published in May 2008, also features an angelic main character, with a dog for a sidekick. Tom feels that this book is his strongest work yet, and describes it as the crown jewel of his writing career. “His feelings towards the creator are a little less nice,” says Tom describing his angelic star of the series, Remy. “At one point in the book, he mentions how God just set things in motion and sits back with a big tub of popcorn and a coke and watches to see what happens. He’s got a more sarcastic view, that the creator is an observer more than anything,” he says. “I wrote it over a year ago, and I’m dying for people to read it! This is the one that has the strongest emotional core. My wife bawled, this book just devastated her when she read it,” he added.
{quote_bottom}Also in the works, and set to come out next summer is The Brimstone Network. The story is set on an alternate Earth where atomic bombs from World War II have torn a hole in the fabric of reality, letting all sorts of nastiness come through. The Brimstone Network was a secret society that had existed since the dawn of time to handle other worldly threats, which were much greater since the rift had been torn open. Though something happens that results in the deaths of the entire team. Unbeknownst to the world, there was a secret contingency plan. The leader of the group had a son, hidden away in a monastery in Tibet. Now it falls to him to build a new Brimstone Network. Sniegoski created this series as a nod to the pulp fiction stories that he loved growing up. “Me as a 12 year old would have died and gone to heaven if I’d read a book like this,” he says.
Also, three of Tom’s earlier series are still in various stages of adaptation to film. Outcast, an answer to Harry Potter, in which the lead character is the only non-magical person in a world of magic has already had a couple of different versions of a draft script completed. Another series, The Sleeper Conspiracy, which features a teenager who is also secretly programmed to be a hit man also has had at least one draft of a script completed. “My manager really likes it. After a couple of tweaks here and there, I think this would make a great action movie franchise. I think they want their own Jason Bourne,” laughs Sniegoski. Also, the comic series Talent, about a man who is the lone survivor of a plane crash, but who inherits the abilities of those who died in the crash is being developed by Universal. The Talent comics will also be released in a collected graphic novel in September.
|
|
|
Fallen advertising was again prevalent at Comic-Con 2007. |
Still surprised about the number of recent successes he has had, Sniegoski is stunned by the amount of attention his work gets at venues such as the San Diego Comic-Con. “In my mind, I’m still the same guy that I was 15 years ago, trying to write something good that somebody likes. You don’t even realize the effect that something you’ve done has had on people, or the industry,” he says. Speaking about last years Comic-Con he was surprised that ABC Family had paid for Fallen advertisements on the freebie bags distributed to every attendee. “Over a hundred thousand people have that bag with Fallen on it. Then you see the ginormous banner. Good God, this is too much!,“ he says. An autograph session also followed both last years event, and this years. “I don’t think I’ve ever signed as fast or as much,” said Sniegoski. In 2006, Comic-Con disturbed several hundred copies of the first Fallen book to those who came to the panel session. “I loved the fact that a week or so after San Diego, I saw copies of my book showing up on e-Bay for $50. I’m like ‘You’ve gotta be shitting me!'- Give me $20 and I’ll sign a book for you, “ he joked.
Fallen airs this weekend, Aug 3 thru Aug 5 on ABC Family.
