What does it take to bring an established story into a new medium? And what happens when a creator gets the opportunity to expand a story beyond its original ending? Those are two questions I got to explore in the latest episode of The Buzz – BuzzWorthy Radio, featuring actor and filmmaker Chandler Riggs and bestselling author and television creator Blake Crouch.
Chandler Riggs Goes Behind the Scenes of Biohazard
Many television viewers know Chandler Riggs for his portrayal of Carl Grimes on The Walking Dead. However, Chandler has been exploring another side of his creativity with Biohazard, a live-action fan film based on the critically acclaimed video game Resident Evil 7.
What began as a conversation with friends about the possibility of adapting the game eventually became a major undertaking. Chandler wrote, directed, starred in, and edited the film, while also handling some of its visual effects. The project was driven by his appreciation for the game and his desire to create an adaptation that respected what made the original so effective.
During our conversation, Chandler explained how an opportunity involving the Tampa Bay film commissioner helped turn the idea into an actual production. From securing locations and assembling a crew to navigating the demands of post-production, the project presented challenges at practically every stage. Chandler revealed that he was still working on the film until the night before its release.
We also discussed his transition from acting to directing and the challenge of doing both simultaneously. Chandler explained how difficult it could be to shift between planning shots, managing production decisions, and getting into character, especially when the schedule allowed very little room for additional takes.
Another interesting part of our conversation involved the future of Resident Evil as a live-action property. Chandler believes an episodic approach could allow the story of Resident Evil 7 to breathe, much like HBO’s adaptation of The Last of Us. We also discussed other games he’d love to see adapted, including SOMA, Outlast, and BioShock.
Blake Crouch Expands the World of Dark Matter
In the second half of the episode, I welcomed Blake Crouch, the bestselling author and creator behind Apple TV’s Dark Matter. With the second season approaching its conclusion, our conversation focused on how Blake and his creative team expanded the story beyond the events of his original novel.
One of the most interesting revelations was that Dark Matter was initially considered as a feature film. Blake explained how difficult it was to compress the story into approximately 110 minutes. The television format ultimately provided an opportunity to explore the characters and their alternate realities in much greater depth.
We also discussed how the actors helped influence the direction of the series. Blake spoke about working with Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Connelly, Jimmi Simpson, and Alice Braga, explaining that seeing the actors bring their characters to life gave him new opportunities to develop their personalities and relationships.
Having recently interviewed Jimmi Simpson and other members of the Dark Matter cast, I found this perspective particularly interesting. It offered another way of understanding how the characters evolved throughout the series and how collaboration can influence the writing process.
Blake also revealed the considerable challenges involved in filming sequences featuring multiple versions of Jason Dessen. Finding body doubles who could convincingly match Joel Edgerton’s appearance and movements proved difficult, and the production team spent an extraordinary amount of time reviewing the footage to make the scenes work.
The Episode That Helped Inspire Season Two
One of my favorite discussions involved the fifth episode of the second season, which tells its story with very little dialogue and explores a different version of Jason.
I mentioned how much I appreciated the episode and its unusual approach to storytelling. Blake revealed that the idea of following a Jason who never reunited with his family, and exploring his journey through grief over several years, was one of the earliest concepts developed for the season.
More importantly, Blake explained that the opportunity to tell this particular story was a major reason he decided to continue Dark Matter beyond its original ending.
As our conversation concluded, Blake offered a tantalizing tease about the final two episodes, describing them as the biggest episodes of Dark Matter the team had ever made.
You can hear both conversations in the latest episode of The Buzz – BuzzWorthy Radio, available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other major podcast platforms. Be sure to check out Chandler Riggs’ Biohazard on YouTube and catch Dark Matter on Apple TV.
