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On Tuesday, “The Originals” executive producer Julie Plec took the stage at TCA along with the show’s stars Joseph Morgan, Claire Holt, Charles Michael Davis and Phoebe Tonkin to give some insight on what fans can expect now that the Original family has moved to New Orleans to give King Marcel a run for his throne.
Starting with the behind the scenes information, Plec pointed out that “The Vampire Diaries” audience has grown with them for four years and this show will not feature the same coming of age drama as “TVD.” While those vampires struggle with who and what they are, Plec said “The Originals” will revel in it.
Even though the backdoor pilot that aired in April was shot in New Orleans, the new show will mostly shoot in Atlanta just like “TVD” does. Plec said they will occasionally shoot in New Orleans, but that there was a “comfort level” to staying in Atlanta and sharing some crew members with “TVD.” Due to Daniel Gillies’ (Elijah) commitment to “Saving Hope,” they are currently shooting on a Wednesday-Sunday schedule (and it’s also why Gillies was absent from the panel).
As for potential viewers who have not watched “The Vampire Diaries,” Plec believes the audience can jump in no matter what their knowledge level is. “It’s one of the most difficult tasks, creatively, but one of the most important.”
SPOILERS AHEAD
It’s already been said that Rebekah (Holt) will start her journey on “The Vampire Diaries” this season before moving to “The Originals” in the show’s second episode. But what about Matt (Zach Roerig)?
“I think she realized her bond with her family is more important than anything else,” Holt said. She also promised that Beks’ entrance into New Orleans would not be a tame one. “She always gets herself into trouble somehow. I think she’s going to start a riot.”
Holt and Tonkin (Hayley) shared their excitement over finally having a scene together and what their characters’ relationship will be like. “She feels protective of Hayley,” Holt said, pointing out that Rebekah wants a family and she wants to be ‘Auntie Bex’. But when she first arrives, Rebekah mistakes Hayley for the maid and orders her to get her bags.
Marcel’s (Davis) origin story will be explored when the show flashes back to 1815 to let viewers see how he became a vampire and what his relationship with Klaus (Morgan) was like in the past. As for the present, Morgan pointed out that Klaus normally comes in “like a bull in a china shop” but he can’t do that here because Marcel literally has an army surrounding him.
Rebekah has her own history with Marcel and Plec teases that viewers will definitely want to tune into the second episode to find out more about it.
As for Elijah, as previously reported, the new pilot will be told from his point of view and the character will be in nearly every scene. “His goal is to try and bring them together and find redemption,” Plec explained. “And he’s driven by that need and sees the baby as redemption.”
“The Originals” premieres Thursday, Oct. 3 at 9/8c on The CW.
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