Anthony Michael Hall (Trigger Warning) spoke with us about the legacy of The Dead Zone TV series and if he would return for a reboot.
One of the most recurring themes in Stephen King’s work is clairvoyance as indicated by some of his most famous works like The Shining and The Stand. Another classic that’s been adapted multiple times is his 1979 novel The Dead Zone, which follows Johnny Smith, who awakens from a coma after several years, discovering he’s gained clairvoyant and precognitive visions triggered by touch. The first adaptation was the 1983 David Cronenberg Paramount horror sci-fi film that starred Christopher Walken, Brooke Adams, and Martin Sheen in the Johnny, Sarah, and Greg roles. Lionsgate developed the 2002 TV series adaptation for USA Network starring Anthony Michael Hall as Johnny, Nicole de Boer as Sarah, and Sean Patrick Flanery as Greg, running for six seasons from 2002-2007. While promoting his Netflix film Trigger Warning, Hall spoke to Bleeding Cool about his legacy on the series and rumors of a potential reboot despite the original series ending without a proper series finale.
The Dead Zone: Anthony Michael Hall on Dead Zone Reboot Rumors and TV Series Legacy
“This came up a couple of days ago [about a possible reboot]. I was sharing with my wife [Lucia Oskerova] that I had read someplace. I’m not sure, but Amazon has picked up and repurposed the show. It’s going to be on Prime Video, and I was delighted. I was excited to hear that. I put a lot of work into it. It was a great experience for me 20 years ago and we did five seasons. I did like 80 episodes, and it was so funny because my wife asked me the same question time, and I’m like, “I’m too old for that,” Hall shared when asked about the possibility of a return.
He continued, “They’ll get a younger-looking guy who can do more [laughs], but I was dumping on myself a couple of days ago. After I found out that, I was like, ‘Maybe I should keep the door open,’ as Sean Connery did for ‘Never Say Never Again’ (1983), right? I’m honored and I’m happy to be working with Amazon. I did ‘Bosch Legacy‘ season two and now ‘Reacher‘ for them. I’m honored to work with them and Skydance, which are both great companies. They give you so many great resources but also great flexibility. They’re cool to work for, both Netflix and Amazon. It’s got to be on Amazon, and I’m excited to read that, but “Never say never.” I don’t know if Johnny Smith could still be doing his thing in his 50s, but why the hell not? Right here. All right.”