Click!: Aliens vs humans in ‘Falling Skies’
Noah Wyle stars in “Falling Skies,” an epic saga set in the aftermath of an all-out alien invasion of Earth, where the few survivors come together in an attempt to fight back.
The science fiction drama series, produced by Steven Spielberg, features Wyle as Tom Mason, a Boston history professor whose wife was killed in the invasion and the second of his three sons captured by aliens.
Wyle gives viewers a glimpse of the series’ production elements:
How involved was Steven Spielberg in the production of this show?
His fingerprints are all over it. He was instrumental in helping craft the original pilot script and casting the pilot. He was on set when we were shooting the pilot and he made lots of editorial decisions and even drew some storyboards for the reshoots on the pilot and then helped craft the overarching story for the season. He made lots of editorial suggestions along the way in bringing those shows to their final cut.
“Falling Skies” appears to be very much like a feature film.
It was never scripted to feel like a movie but I think anytime Mr. Spielberg’s name is above the marquee you can’t help but make a cinema comparison. Plus, it’s got rich production values. The budget on the pilot was pretty extensive so we had a lot of bang for our buck. But that wasn’t necessarily the case in every episode, so I think getting a sense of what the series is going to be like comes probably more accurately from the second half than the first. But, yes, it’s got a very cinematic feel to it.
How does your character try to keep family together in this broken world?
I found that dual conflict that we set up in the pilot to be really provocative for a guy just trying to keep his family intact and alive, and then being given the larger responsibility of having to care for 300 strangers. The conflict between the two is very interesting.
Certainly the notion of family and the quality of human relationships comes to the floor and that’s what we successfully explored through the first half of the season.
How did you prepare for the stunts you performed?
We all had a couple of days running around the sound stage and learning gun safety. But in terms of physical preparation, I found myself at a disadvantage trying to keep up with Drew Roy who is part springbok (antelope). He plays Hal, my eldest son, who very early on, had to run, jump, dive, whirl, roll and do all these crazy things.
The series airs Mondays at 8:20 p.m. on AXN Beyond.
‘Jollitown’ season finale
More surprises are expected to unfold on “Jollitown” Season 4 finale today at 9 a.m. on ABS-CBN, including the grand raffle draw of its text-in promo.
The last episode of the kiddie TV show takes up where the previous adventures of Jollibee and friends left off.
To repair their friend DingDangDong, the magical clock tower, the Jollitown friends take on new challenges as they travel through time. As their adventure reaches its peak, Santa Claus, gladiators and princesses, Thomas Jetisson and Mr. Tom Morrow surface.
Will the friends eventually save DingDangDong?
Jollibee, Popo, Hetty, Twirlie and Yum figure out how to bring their friends back to their own time.
