CW’s “iZombie” pilot isn’t finished. That’s why producer Rob Thomas said he pulled the pilot screening originally scheduled as part of San Diego Comic-Con’s preview night on Wednesday.
“We’re recasting some of the roles and have three more days to reshoot,” Thomas said during the show’s panel on Friday. “We wanted to have a finished product that is ready to air.”
The panel audience did get a very extended 15 minute cut from the pilot, which showed star Rose McIver transform from human to the living dead.
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It’s safe to say that the actors who joined Thomas and co-creator/executive producer Diane Ruggiero would not be recast. They included lead McIver, Malcolm Goodwin, Rahul Kohli, Robert Buckley and Dave Anders.
The panel did offer more details on the new series to supplement what the producers and Warner Bros. have released to date. McIver plays Liv, a zombie who would like nothing else than to have her normal pre-zombie life back. Working in a police mortuary, she has access to the brains she needs to eat for survival. For every person whose brains she eats, she acquires their memories and abilities as well. That makes her a prime help in solving the town’s murder mysteries.
Thomas explained that the show will have a weekly murder mystery and then a season-long zombie storyline arc. He has no plans to bring in other supernatural creatures into the mix.
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“No, we’re going to be a straight zombie show,” he said. He offered a contrast between “iZombie” and HBO’s expansive supernatural characters on “True Blood.”
Clearly, the gal sleuth part of the show hearkens back to “Veronica Mars,” but Thomas says the show is more like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” in the added action on Liv’s part on “iZombie.”
Speaking of “Veronica Mars,” Thomas isn’t shy about bringing characters from his other shows, including “Party Down,” into the iZombie universe. So, expect some crossovers.