The imminent En: Welcome to Derry the series dives deep into the terrifying mythology of Stephen Kingand the showrunners are making sure every disturbing detail feels authentic.
One of their more interesting moves was bringing back Dick Hallorann, the psychic cook of The Shining Onein Pennywise’s chilling origin story. According to the creators, the choice was rooted in staying true to King’s world, and the author himself gave his full blessing.
“It was about staying authentic to the book. We wanted to use as much canon as we felt was appropriate. We kind of put on our Mike Hanlon hat and approached it the way the character did. We became amateur historians of Derry,” he said Jason Fuchs during a panel discussion at NYCC.
“And so, just as Mike is sitting in the attic of the library, we’re sitting in the writer’s room saying, ‘OK, what pieces of these interludes in the book that suggest elements of Derry’s history shrouded in mystery can we start digging up?’”
Fuchs explained that by connecting it and The Shining One it came naturally. “And obviously there are references in the original book and some interludes to Dick Hallorann’s presence at The Black Spot.
“And so it felt incredibly natural to say, ‘OK, this is someone who would be a part of Derry right now. But where is his story at that point? Where is he in his journey as a character?'”
In En: Welcome to Derry, Chris Chalk steps into the role of a younger Hallorann, crossing paths with him Jovan AdepoLeroy Hanlon, Mike Hanlon’s grandfather, during his time in the Air Force. One of the scenes shown at NYCC featured a tense encounter between Dick and Leroy aboard a plane, which was interrupted by Pennywise.
As a fan of King’s interconnected worlds, this makes perfect sense. In It, Hallorann opened The Black Spot, a bar for black soldiers that was destroyed by a hate group. Using his “shine”, he helped save the survivors, including Will Hanlon, Mike’s father (played by Jacobs singled in It).
“He’s very different from the Dick Hallorann that we know from The Shining, or certainly from Doctor Sleep,” Fuchs continued. “So it was about finding those little nuggets buried in the text and letting the story and character dictate that.
“So, for example, if a character was going to be taken to prison – I guess you would have seen it in the trailer – all of a sudden there would be a question, well, ‘What’s the closest prison? Shawshank.’ It made sense.
Fuchs emphasized that Easter eggs are not just fan service, but arise naturally from the story. “So we never invented things. Everything started from what is the most effective and dramatic choice. And then often the answers to those questions suggested other elements of the Stephen King tradition and canon.
“But there are a lot of Easter Eggs in this show. There are definitely, for a mega Stephen King fan like me, like Brad, this thing is chock-full of Easter Eggs, references to a larger Stephen King universe. So I’m excited for fans to try and discover them.”
Brad Kane added that television allows them to explore characters on a deeper level. “Yes, everything he said. The fun thing about working on TV instead of film is that you get to delve much deeper into the character.
“And the fun thing about taking a character like Dick Hallorann from The Shining [or] the Dick Hallorann we know from The Shining than Doctor Sleep: he’s much more of a mentor character. Its existence is much more in service of Danny Torrance’s journey through the Overlook.”
This time Hallorann is not the wise guardian we know. “On our show, Dick Hallorann doesn’t serve anything other than himself. He’s a much more selfish guy,” Kane explained. “I guess he serves General Shaw and the show’s master plan, but he’s trying to do just that: break free from people’s control and live his life.
“He’s a fun guy. He doesn’t like kids like in The Shining. He’s not interested. But we were able to get him from this character we don’t know, this younger character who’s nothing like [his character in] The Shining, towards a character you recognize much more at the end. We gave him a complete story arc.
Stephen King supervised all decisions. “I feel like we made him an even more three-dimensional, well-rounded character under the watchful eye of Uncle Stevie himself. He had to approve every draft, every script, make sure we weren’t telling any stories outside of school here. All with Stephen King’s approval.
“But we were able to really build his character in a way that I don’t think we’ve ever seen before. And it was exciting to listen to.”
Developed by Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschiettiand Fuchs, En: Welcome to Derry explores the city’s sinister origins across multiple eras. The first season is set in 1962, while the second and third are scheduled to go back even further to 1935 and 1908, delving deeper into Derry’s long and cursed history.
Via: GamesRadar+
by Joey Paur
Source: Geek Tyrant
Lloyd Grunewald is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. He is a talented writer who focuses on bringing the latest entertainment-related news to his readers. With a deep understanding of the entertainment industry and a passion for writing, Lloyd delivers engaging articles that keep his readers informed and entertained.
