M. Night Shyamalan would like to make one thing perfectly clear: “Wayward Pines” is nothing like “Twin Peaks.”
“I think when it's all said and done, it has nothing to do with ['Twin Peaks'],” said the director when I brought up inevitable comparisons between the two series during our chat at San Diego Comic-Con. “'Twin Peaks' and Tim Burton movies, they're just different tonalities. The world is different. Everyone speaks different. That's just the way it is. And in our…show, 'Wayward Pines,' everyone's acting very odd. You have to watch for ten episodes and you'll understand why they're acting odd. There's a reason. There's a grounded reason.”
In other words: while “Twin Peaks” might as well take place in an alternate universe, “Wayward Pines” is very much based in reality. So will all our questions be answered by the end of the show? And how about a second season?
“I think like a great movie hopefully, it's closed and wonderful and if we all choose at some point maybe to continue it, it's possible [the show will have another season],” said Shyamalan. “It's certainly viable and real, and there are opportunities there. But like a great movie, it's meant to be a satisfying piece all unto itself. That's what I like about the [TV] format, it doesn't have to a compromise to do either one.”
For more from Shyamalan, including what it was like to transition to TV and which of the show's cast members had been badgering him for a role before being cast, click on the video above for the full interview.
“Wayward Pines” premieres early next year on FOX.