A new series from the creators of Paranormal Activity, Michael Green (Heroes), and Steven Spielberg is set to debut on ABC one week from today. The show is a thriller set on the Amazon amid a host of family secrets and a giant mystery that may just have you believe there’s magic out there.
Famed explorer Dr. Emmet Cole (Bruce Greenwood) went looking for magic deep in the uncharted Amazon and never returned. Now, the shocking truth about his disappearance is out there, somewhere, just waiting to be discovered. To the millions of kids who grew up watching his nature show, Dr. Cole was a hero. To his own son Lincoln (Joe Anderson), he was more of an enigma. Now, six months after he vanished, Lincoln is finally ready to bury the past when Dr. Cole’s cagey ex-producer Clark (Paul Blackthorne) film the mission documentary-style. The mixed crew of old friends and new acquaintances includes the sexy and resourceful Lena (Eloise Mumford), loyal mechanic Emilio (Daniel Zacapa) and lethal bodyguard Captain Kurt Brynildson (Thomas Kretschmann).
Once they find The Magus, the real adventure begins. In the search for Dr. Cole, they will encounter a scary new mystery each week, while struggling with their own personal jealousies, insecurities, secrets and desires. As they venture further into the Amazon, away from the world they know, the crew of The Magus will discover a place where one bad decision can be fatal, and where powerful magic is as real as science.
Interested? ABC recently opened a new microsite where you can explore elements from the show and learn a little about the mythology to get you primed for the series.
I’m not a big fan of horror films myself, but as long as The River stays closer to the ‘Thriller’ elements, I’ll be watching. How about you?
I’m of two minds about listening to movie soundtracks before I see the movie. On one hand, the music and the film are meant to evoke a certain emotional feeling that will forever be etched in tandem in your memory so that whenever you hear the refrains, you slip back to whatever emotional state your found yourself in the first time you saw and heard the film. That’s part of the magic of film making. But there are some movie composers whose music not only stands alone, but foreshadows the film so well, that it feels like you’re receiving an introduction to a friend of a friend whom you know will be among your closest personal circle from now until eternity. Michael Giacchino’s compositions fall into the latter category.
