Last
year actress Yancy Butler was riding on pins and needles, anxiously awaiting
the then upcoming made-for-television movie WITCHBLADE. At the time, TNT
had thought enough of the series to move it up from its original October
air date to an August premiere and if all went well, the actress would
find herself back in Toronto shooting an ongoing series.
In
spite of some rather lackluster reviews from both the fan and professional
press, TNT thought enough of the project to give it an 11-episode commitment.
Thanks to some good luck on the corporate end, particularly Time Warner`s
recent move regarding programming, the WITCHBLADE movie was recently rebroadcast
on the more mainstream WB to encouraging numbers and the new series has
already made its debut on TNT this month.
It
comes as no surprise then that Butler is ecstatic with the recent chain
of events.
`[People
associate me with] very action characters,` says Butler. `I`ve always played
strong women who are doing their own thing. In this show they are really
allowing a female character to shine through in all her colors. Sara is
different from those characters, however. I feel for her. A lot of stuff
is going on. She`s having a meltdown. She`s not all hard and male-hating.
She is not just angry and bitter or somebody that`s just fluffed up. We
very much could have gone in that direction. I think it`s an extension
of everything that I`ve worked for.`
This
means that the Pezzini Butler portrays is very different from her current
comic book incarnation. In the Top Cow series, Pezzini is more of a mystical
superhero, rather than a hardened cop. On television, however, Butler and
producer Ralph Hemecker make sure that audiences identify the character
as a gold-badge toting detective for the N.Y.P.D.
`I
think being a cop is one of the toughest jobs there is,` says Butler. `My
grandfather was a cop in Long Island. I often try to draw on those things
that I`ve heard about him. It`s got to be extremely difficult. One had
to become jaded. I don`t know if there`s any difference with a cop`s world
through Sara`s eyes. I think that Sara`s quite jaded, but she does care.
She wants to do good. I think it`s a struggle with her to remember to do
good.`
This
also means the `Versace and metal bra` look of the comic has been ditched
for more `realistic` attire -- a full medieval knight`s costume in the
first episode. However, count on seeing more of the actual Witchblade talisman
in upcoming episodes. It seems Pezzini has learned the importance of keeping
the gauntlet on her person at all times.
`There
are many blessings,` says Butler. `It gives Sara a certain power. It gives
her insight. It`s giving her certain relations with people and a new perspective
on herself, both in what`s going on around her as well as knowledge of
her lineage. Knowing where she comes from is important to Sara'.
As
for the cast itself, the supporting members left alive at the end of the
pilot have returned for the ongoing series. Also returning is a character
who, at last we saw him, was quite dead -- Pezzini`s former partner Danny
Woo (played by Will Yun Lee).
`He`s
become a bit of a mentor,` says Butler. `He`s obviously somebody that still
misses very much, and kind of creeps up like the Witchblade when she least
expects it.`
Even
more interesting is the fact that the upcoming first episode is not as
much about Pezzini as it is about her other major mentor, Nottingham (Eric
Etebari). The story will demonstrate that he was not alone in his particular
form of training, but rather the shadowy Irons (Anthony Cistaro) had much
to do with it. When their past comes back to haunt them, it`s up to Pezzini
to decide who will live and who will die.
Other
plot threads include Captain Siri`s (Kenneth Welch) retirement and replacement
by Captain Dante (Victor Serrano), who now heads up both Homicide and Special
Investigations units. It doesn`t take long to realize that the new captain
isn`t a Pezzini fan -- whether it`s her or her late father. As to why the
character harbors this resentment, only Siri seems to know the answer to
that question.
`Having
Siri retire is quite devastating to her,` says Butler. `Captain Dante is
someone she can`t stand and he`s itching and waiting for an excuse to get
her off the force.`
Then
again, inside sources have just leaked that this new captain`s name is
highly significant. The source stated that those familiar with history
would recognize the original Dante Allegheri as a freedom fighter who was
sent to jail for his actions. That was where he wrote THE DIVINE COMEDY,
a highly charged political tract in its day. However, audiences will have
to wait and see what this bit of history has to do with WITCHBLADE`s Dante.
Another
character who is definitely not all he appears to be is Pezzini`s new partner,
Jake McCartey (David Chokachi). As introduced in the series, he appeared
to be a young cop who was a former surfing champion. The only thing that
rubbed wrong with this image is his ability to get information that leaves
even Pezzini mystified. For those who pay close attention to detail, there
is one scene in `Parallax` that will sneak a peek into McCartey`s true
nature -- he`s a heck of a lot more than a rookie detective with a sunny
smile and crush on Sara.
As
for future episodes, the Who`s former lead singer, Roger Daltry, is slated
to make a guest appearance as a rogue priest. His association to the Witchblade
is being kept quiet, but our source indicates that it will explain much
of the Joan of Arc/Salem Witch elements hinted at in the movie.
Another
interesting element will be the establishment of a love interest for Pezzini...and
it won`t be McCartey.
`I
think he`s got a little bit of a thing going for me,` Butler says, with
a tad of sarcasm. `But it`s an unrequited love. Sara really loves him like
a brother and the rookie partner that he is. She definitely does not think
he`s a match for her. My new love interest is a character named Conchobar
(Kim De Lurie), a musician. The story has it we were involved years ago.
Sara gets flashes of this and she clearly thinks she`s losing her mind
-- the last thing she needed. [That`s] always the case when the love of
your life comes around. It doesn`t hurt that he`s drop dead gorgeous.`
Still,
the most important plot development for this season is Pezzini`s acceptance
of the Witchblade, even if she still isn`t sure what exactly it does.
`She`s
intrigued by it,` says Butler. `You know, some of the things that scare
us are the things that are good for us. It`s empowering her in a certain
way. It`s a frightening force as well.`
