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REVIVAL: Co-Creators Aaron B. Koontz and Luke Boyce on Crafting 'Weird' New Series
REVIVAL: Co-Creators Aaron B. Koontz and Luke Boyce on Crafting 'Weird' New Series

Geek Girl Authority

time21 hours ago

  • Entertainment
  • Geek Girl Authority

REVIVAL: Co-Creators Aaron B. Koontz and Luke Boyce on Crafting 'Weird' New Series

Revival Day is almost here. What happens when the dead return to the Land of the Living? That's for Dana Cypress (Melanie Scrofano) and her small town in Wisconsin to find out. Revival , a new show based on Tim Seeley and Mike Norton's comic book series of the same name, is poised to take Syfy by storm. It defies genre conventions, especially with co-creators, showrunners and executive producers Aaron B. Koontz and Luke Boyce at the helm. Recently, I had the privilege of chatting with Aaron and Luke about what drew them to adapt this series, what viewers can expect and how their respective work experiences made them uniquely suited to bring Revival to the small screen. RELATED: Revival : Check Out 9 First-Look Photos From Melanie Scrofano-Led Series This interview is edited for clarity. Aaron B. Koontz and Luke Boyce Melody McCune: What drew you guys to adapt Revival ? What drew you to this source material? Luke Boyce: I've been a huge fan of the comics. They came out in 2012. I knew that Tim and Mike were Chicago natives; I live around Chicago. I met them and talked to them about doing something together as indie filmmakers. They were like, 'Hey, Revival's available. Would you be interested?' I flipped out and said, 'Yes, please.' We talked about what that would be like. We went through some iterations until I met Aaron. Sent him the book after we worked together on Revealer . He fell in love with it, as most people do. We started talking about what this would look like as a series. That was a big turning point for this. Aaron B. Koontz: I read that first issue and was like, 'This is a pilot.' Right off the bat. Revival Season 1 REVIVAL — 'Don't Tell Dad' Season 1 Episode 1 — Pictured: (l-r) David James Elliott as Wayne Cypress, Melanie Scrofano as Dana Cypress — (Photo by: Naomi Peters/Lavivier Productions/SYFY) MM: What can viewers expect when they tune in this season? ABK: Is it a cliché to say, 'Expect the unexpected'? We are cinephiles; we are TV fiends. We watch so much. I think we try to put ourselves in the viewer's space. I like to be challenged as a viewer — to figure out what's going on. As savvy TV viewers, we're like, 'What do we want? What would be fun for us to experience? What would be an entertaining way to twist this?' RELATED: Revival : The Dead Have Rejoined the Living in Official Trailer So, we took these unbelievable touchstones within the comic, and we placed them all out on this big mural board that Luke and I had our three writers' room, as we call it, which is us on Zoom for 10 hours. Essentially, going through everything and figuring out, 'How do we work our way here?' Then, how do we get ourselves stuck? Let's almost write ourselves into this corner where we don't know how to get out. Then, because it's fun to watch a character get unstuck, let's do the same with us as writers. That became a fun challenge. Zigzag Some of my favorite moments of the entire show are now from asking those tough questions. That was a big part of the journey for us in trying to find unique ways to make a show that, just when they think they know where it's going to go, it doesn't go there. RELATED: TV Review: Resident Alien Season 4 We pull the rug out from under you. Even the fans of the comic were like, 'Oh, they're setting this up, watch what's going to happen.' They turn to their partner like, 'Okay, here you go.' Then, they're like, 'Oh, whoa, wait, what?' We zig when we're going to zag. We were constantly constructing things. The last thing I'll say is, we're big on rewatchability. There are scenes that'll feel innocuous, like, 'Okay, that was just a fun scene.' Then, later episodes, it'll be like, 'Wait a second, that's what was happening in that scene?' That's really fun to play with. Expect the Unexpected REVIVAL — 'Reality Check' Season 1 Episode 3 — Pictured: (l-r) Romy Weltman as Martha 'Em' Cypress, Kaleb Horn as Rhodey Rasch — (Photo by: Mathieu Savidant/Lavivier Productions/SYFY) MM: Describe Revival using three words. LB: Thrilling, for sure. Mysterious. ABK: I would say familial because of the family aspect. Unexpected, which is back to the expectations, and weird. RELATED: 10 Out-of-This-World Predictions for Resident Alien Season 4 MM: Weird, yes. That's a good descriptor. LB: We wanted to make a weird show. We didn't want it to feel like everything else. Things we love, but we don't have the money to make what they do in The Last of Us . How do we do something that feels different, fresh and unique? It's weird. Creatively Fulfilling REVIVAL — 'Reality Check' Season 1 Episode 3 — Pictured: Andy McQueen as Ibrahim Ramin — (Photo by: Lavivier Productions/SYFY) MM: You both have experience working on horror and thriller projects. How did your past work help shape this show and inform its tone? ABK: I've produced 25 or so features at this point. We are the company people hire when we have a $5 million movie and only have $1 million to make it. In the writer's room, we would construct things to allow us to have this set piece. We're going to spend all our money here. We have to go so much faster through all of this. It was very placed from the get-go. I was like, 'This is too much in one episode, so what could this be?' Now, we need an episode that does this, a bottle episode or these things to help frame it the right way. As a producer, I work with so many amazing directors and creators. I see what's there. You see how people construct ideas — when they throw something against the wall, what sticks and what doesn't. Taking that experience and having a pragmatic, managerial aspect as a producer … because there's so much of management and all these different personalities you have as a showrunner, but also have the creative side. RELATED: 10 Predictions for The Ark Season 3 It was this perfect amalgamation, the most creatively fulfilling thing I've ever done. Weirdly, I feel like it's what I'm supposed to do. It scratches that itch. Genre-Defying REVIVAL — 'Reality Check' Season 1 Episode 3 — Pictured: (l-r) Steven Ogg as Blaine Abel, David James Elliott as Sheriff Wayne Cypress — (Photo by: Mathieu Savidant/Lavivier Productions/SYFY) MM: What makes the show stand out from its genre contemporaries? LB: Which genre? That's the thing, right? MM: True. It's a bit genre-defying. LB: It is. We jump all over the place. That's one of the fun things about it. That's there in the comic, for sure. One of the first things Aaron and I talked about was what to do with the tone. How can we play with tone and do different things? We pitched this as Fargo meets Mare of Easttown with a supernatural horror event. RELATED: Read our Wynonna Earp recaps MM: I see that. LB: It's such a fun world to live in. Then, you've got the rural noir aspect of it. That noir thing, the murder mystery that sits on top of everything that drives the story. It's fun to play with those tropes on top of playing with zombie tropes and subverting those. That's what makes the show special in a lot of different ways — how many genres we play with and how we play with tone in this. ABK: It's a murder mystery where the person is still alive to solve their own murder. What the hell? That's so cool. Within that, you have thriller elements, horror, comedy. You can play to the convention of what those tropes are in a wonderful way, while understanding them as cinephiles and TV people. Then, we pull the rug out from under you and have fun with that. It's so rad. Revival premieres on June 12, 2025, at 10 pm ET, only on Syfy, with new weekly releases every Thursday on the platform. Geek Girl Authority Crush of the Week: SUSAN IRELAND Contact: [email protected] What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events. Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet. Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium. Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.

Edison graduates enjoy one more concert together
Edison graduates enjoy one more concert together

Los Angeles Times

timea day ago

  • Entertainment
  • Los Angeles Times

Edison graduates enjoy one more concert together

The graduates of Edison High School gathered in the corner of 'Cap' Sheue Field on Thursday afternoon to vibe to music. An Edison High musical group comprised of Saxon Baltzer, Ava Coggins, Kayla Do, Koa Hord, Sam Johnson and Nathan Lopez performed 'Revival,' by Zach Bryan. The song definitely encourages dancing, so the Chargers got one last dance in together before heading out into the world as the Class of 2025. Edison graduated 430 students during the ceremony. Edison ASB President Ben Berger shared remarks with the crowd. 'As difficult as the low points or the not-so-fun times of high school were, I can say I wouldn't trade them for the world,' Berger said. 'Seating charts that placed me farther from my friends brought me closer to new ones. My time spent riding the bench on [the] baseball [team] may not have been so fun, but I grew my friendships and character through those inactive innings.' Tobias Robertson and Kyle Huang were the other student speakers for Edison, while the Edison choir performed the national anthem. Edison Principal Danny Morris honored the magna cum laude and summa cum laude graduates, who were wearing gold gowns, as well as eight who will be enlisting in the military following graduation. 'Thank you to all in the stands for being here today, one last time before it's time to go,' Morris said. 'Thank you for the early mornings, the late nights, the pep talks and even the tough love. Graduates, they have been your ride-or-die squad since day one, and no matter how far you go from here, they'll always be your home team.' — Daily Pilot Staff

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