First teaser for superhero TV series 'Dark Rising' promises a fresh look at what it means to be human today
There's a new science fiction superhero TV series on the block and the trailer for it released just a little over a week ago. On May 27, MCM London Comic Con unveiled the first teaser trailer for Dark Rising - which is in development for 2019.
Creators Souvid Datta and Chris Bouchard presented a ‘first look’ panel, including ten minutes of pilot footage, at the Comic Con event in London. The online official fan portal at www.darkrising.tv also offered the first one thousand fans an invitation to step inside the creation of the show, for a limited period.
In a rare move, the producers also offered superhero fans access to a virtual writer’s room, to submit feedback on the series and contribute to its development. Features like unlocking exclusive footage shot on location in Kenya, concept art, story-lines and conceptual films, alongside blogs from the creators were also available.
The story of the series revolves around the politically charged slums of central Africa and encompasses the neglected communities across Europe and Central America, telling viewers the story of troubled youths discovering strange and formidable powers.
Edged much closer to darkness than traditional heroism, fans will be able to follow the journey rediscovering and rebuilding mortality in a word where they could ever so easily rule as supremes.
Yet one of the striking elemnts of the show remains to be its aspect of diversity. With a global scope and hyper-realistic tone, Dark Rising aims to champion diversity in the superhero genre, pushing it into nuanced and more gritty territory. Its world is wild and cruel, but remains allegorical and hopeful, inviting a fresh perspective on what it means to be human today.
The pilot features debut African talents like Maxmillan Odhiambo and Ann Marie Chibole. Creator and writer, Souvik Datta, is a British-Indian writer and director who has created work for Channel 4, National Geographic Magazine, BBC, Google, and The Guardian. In 2017 Datta filmed a series of shorts with local actors in Kibera (Kenya), serving as an extended proof-of-concept for Dark Rising, and spearheading its ongoing development as a high-end television show for 2019.
Producer Chris Bouchard is a British producer and film director. His works include The Lord of the Rings adaptation The Hunt for Gollum, and upcoming live-action The Little Mermaid (August 17, 2018). Bouchard also founded popular Independent Online Cinema (IOC) YouTube channel.
"It’s been both exhilarating and cathartic – as a young, mixed-heritage creator and fan myself – to rise to this challenge, of constructing a truly authentic superhero tale, worthy of these times," Datta shared in a statement.
As for what sets the show apart from other stereotypical superhero dramas, Bouchard says: "Our heroes and villains are human, and fallible, in every sense. There is no pure good or evil, only shades and humans corrupted by power and the monetary forces of globalization."
