Had the image flashed across a far bigger screen, wed call it an iconic shot in cinema history.
It was also the most-watched pilot produced by the studio.
High Castlegot Amazon the feedback it was looking for.
After development road bumps at Syfy and BBC, Amazon called asking for a pilot.
Juliannas journey is a dangerous one.
This project was years in the making.
Where did the journey to bringMan in the High Castleto the screen begin?
Its been an odyssey.
We had great difficulty setting it up in the US.
Our development with this was with BBC.
We did a full cycle there.
Actually our first writer passed away.
We found a wonderful second writer and ultimately didnt proceed.
And then they decided not to go forward with it.
That was two-plus years ago.
Originally it was designed as a four-hour backdoor pilot and then we would go onward into series.
Literally the conversations we were having, the options went off the book and expired.
I said as a matter of fact,The Man in the High Castle.
Amazingly, that phone call lead to this actually happening.
Theres been a long line of Philip K. Dick novels or short stories adapted for the big screen.
Why did you purseHigh Castlefor a TV series rather than a feature?
Dick-Hackett:Originally there was interest as a feature.
It felt like this was really right for a series.
Its such a big world, so dense, and so we let it breathe.
When we were first talking about it television was completely different than it is now.
What weve done now for an ambitious show like this is really different and pretty impressive.
Zucker:When we started, Amazon wasnt even an option.
Weve gone through quite a transformation in terms of what the business is.
Dick-Hackett:Weve been given the resources that we need for this.
Youve seen the pilot so you know how ambitious it is.
Zucker:And the opportunity with Amazon was just to do a pilot.
But the beauty of it was if the pilot succeeded, wed get to series faster.
Spotnitz:Its pretty scary because youre exposed.
The whole world is going to see your pilot and see whether you succeed or fail.
As it turned out, the pilot has been extraordinarily well received.
The advantage I had not anticipated is that everyone has seen the show.
So the crew youre able to get, the actors youre able to get, its a huge benefit.
Its a huge asset because everybody knows and pretty much likes the pilot.
For us, its been a very happy system.
Thats changed since weve started.
Spotnitz:I think Ive read all 11,000 of them [laughs].
Amazon Studios is open for submissions from the public.
Do you have any advice for creators interested in pursuing this route of television or film production?
Spotnitz:My first piece of advice would be the same for anybody doing anything.
Be as smart and ambitious as you possibly can.
For the Amazon platform, take advantage of the unique distribution opportunity that this is.
Its not conventional television storytelling.
They dont want it to be.
Thats what is extraordinary about being in television at this point in time.
Ive never before seen an environment where youre encouraged to be unique, take chances, and be risky.
Thats what they want because they want to stand out from everything else.
Theres a thousand things out there.
you better take chances if you want to succeed.
Thats terrifying, but its really exciting.
Its an amazing moment in our culture.
WithMinority Reportalso coming to TV this fall, Philip K. Dicks work is as popular as ever.
What is it about his writing that still makes it relevant and ripe for adaptation today?
Dick-Hackett:He would be astounded that were sitting here talking about titles of 50-60 years past.
Maybe people have caught up to his work.
I think with every film adaptation the following grows and hopefully it brings people back to the written work.
When he talked about technology it wasnt just about the technology itself.
It was about the how it impacted human beings and what it means to be human.
Those are universal questions and I think it is part of the draw.
How tied are you to the source material?
How long does it take to separateHigh Castlefrom the novel?
Spotnitz:For me, adapting this was hugely intimidating.
The book is a classic and his mind is so rich and interesting.
Theres no question he was ahead of his time and I think he still is ahead of his time.
The challenge is to honor how complex and interesting the ideas of the book are.
The gift of a television series is you’re free to take your time.
There are a lot of ideas in the book that arent in the television series yet.
But they will be.
Its just not getting there too fast.
This is serialized storytelling.
Once you open this door, you might never close it again.
So we want to ensure we explore every bit thoroughly before we move on to the next thing.
Thats the joy and challenge of this.
I think episode two is every bit as good as the pilot.
Some people think its better than the pilot, and Im very proud and excited about that.
The challenge we put on ourselves is to live up to opportunity we have.
Weve been given great freedom to make a great show.
We have amazing material to work with.
The Man in the High Castleseason one drops on November 20th on Amazon Instant Video.
you’ve got the option to watch the pilot for freehere.
