Last
summer, the two-hour movie "Witchblade" brought to TV a world that comic
book fans were already familiar with -- that of police detective Sara Pezzini
(Yancy Butler), a young woman whose life it turned upside down when her
destiny, in the form of an ancient bracelet that morphs into a serious
blade of steel, comes to claim her.
Following
its ratings success, TNT decided to develop the property into a series,
the result of which premieres Tuesday, June 12. Not that she needs it,
but when it does, Sara will have have some back up by the name of Jake
McCartey (David Chokachi).
While
present in the movie, Chokachi wasn't given much to do, largely because
Sara already had a partner, who ultimately died.
"The
problem with the two-hour pilot is there was so much to explain, so things
got kind of cut back," says Chokachi. "As far as the series is concerned,
I'm No. 2. Basically it's her, but I'm her partner and I'm heavily involved
in the series -- like triple the pilot."
Despite
his increased involvement, Jake is still very much in the dark about the
mysterious forces at play. Of the 11 episodes being shot, the actor says
they've completed the 10th, and he's just started to get clued in. However,
despite his character's cluelessness, Chokachi jumped at the chance to
do the series, even before it had been picked up.
"I
was definitely looking for something just like this, so it was really good
timing," he says. "As far as the amount of stuff that was coming across
my desk, there's a lot of stuff where you read it, and you're like, 'Well
maybe I'll go in and meet with them and audition and do the whole deal,'
but it doesn't really float your boat. But, when I read this, and the character
and the idea of it, it was like, 'Get me in there.'"
Playing
an ex-surfboard champion turned detective is a nice fit for the actor.
A former "Baywatch" regular, before "Witchblade" his only brush with comic
books was an occasional "Silver Surfer" as a youth.
"I
grew up in Massachusetts and playing athletics all the time, so [comics]
just weren't something I got into as a kid. Once I started auditioning
[for 'Witchblade'] and getting further along in the process, I went and
bought a bunch and did some research on them. Now, I'm a total fan."
The
only limitation placed on comics is the artists' imagination. Unfortunately,
TV has some more, largely financial restraints. As a result, Chokachi says
that they've taken a few liberties with the source material, sometimes
forgoing the "extravagant" (read: "expensive" ) visuals for more character
or story-driven episodes. Also gone is Sara's illustrated costume amounting
to nothing more than a few strips of strategically placed metal.
"We
keep teasing her about that," laughs Chokachi. "We're like, 'We have to
get you in one of these Yancy.' She's like, 'Yeah, as soon as I can get
to the gym a little more.'"
Sara
and Jake will also engage in their share of will-they-or-won't-they banter,
but considering that she's slated to have a boyfriend for three episodes,
viewers shouldn't expect them to take a spin through the turnstile strategically
placed in Jake's bedroom doorway anytime soon.
"Oh
you caught that," says Chokachi. "That is straight from our executive producer
Ralph Hemecker. I love it. It's kind of one of those things you don't explain
-- just let people put their own interpretation on it. I think most people
get the idea."
