By Travis Johnson
How has The Deep changed in the translation from page to screen?
The original graphic novels collected two stories. Those two stories were adapted into our first episode and our last… meaning we just had to develop 24 more adventures for the Nekton family! Part of what’s been so great about making The Deep has been everyone’s commitment to, and love of, the original material. I think, with James Brouwer as Art Director and myself as head writer, we’ve really been able to faithfully translate the look and feel of the books to the screen. The actors are one hundred percent the characters too. And the animators, producers and director, Trent Carlson, are all pushing for the right tone.
What’s your experience with diving and underwater exploration – is that a field of personal interest to you, or is it just something you explore in fiction?
I’m not going to lie, I’m pretty cautious of the ocean. It’s probably why this is such a fascinating and exciting setting for me to set this show. I have done a fair bit of snorkeling and swum with some incredible underwater life, but when you’re swimming out over those dark bits, over those abysses with limited visibility, that’s when you know this isn’t your world. That’s when you know anything could be lurking just out of your vision. I guess, when I swim or snorkel, I just assume there’s, like, a 50/50 chance I’ll be swallowed by something. The Nekton family are a lot braver than I am.
How hands-on are you with the production and writing of the show? You’re head writer, but how do you feel delegating work on your creation to other writers?
Obviously, I can’t do it all (I have to keep telling myself this), and The Deep is the first TV series I’ve worked on. Luckily, I have some great people around me here in Australia like producer Avrill Stark, line producer Mandy Mackintosh and Script Editor Philip Dalkin. These three, especially, have a lot of experience and try to keep me grounded when things aren’t going perfectly. They’re there to remind me when I’m getting too emotionally close to things, that this is a massive team effort spreading across the globe. And I certainly couldn’t do this without Philip and our great team of writers. I’m very hands-on as I created this with James, and I’m very protective of the Nekton family, having a real ownership of these characters. I write the story outlines with our script editor – often with input from our other writers, producers and director. And I will always do a final polish on every script to ensure our characters sound like themselves and that there’s enough humour and drama.
How do you handle balancing work on the show with your comics work? What’s a typical work day for you, in that regard?
I don’t really have a ‘typical’ work day. Some days, I write a list and don’t check my email and get a surprising amount done. Working in American comics means I’m usually up at night to be in their time-zone (I’m writing this at 3.39am), and I find I write better when the rest of the world, and my family in Australia, is asleep. Other days, I’m just leaping from one fire to another and screaming while everything’s burning. There have been days when I’ve woken up fully expecting to write comics with Batman or Iron Man, only to find something needs my immediate attention and, especially in TV, there are a lot of people across the world waiting for me to address something or do a rewrite. There’s a bit more panic around TV compared to comics, as you’re part of a huge machine, but it’s certainly worth it when you hear just how many families are watching and enjoying our show, in so many different languages, in so many countries.
What are you currently working on, and what’s up next for you?
We’re working on Season Two of The Deep, and scripts are pretty much in the bag for that. The comics of The Deep are also set to come out in the US through Boom studios, starting January. For Marvel, I’m writing the monthly All New Wolverine series, with a female Wolverine, Laura Kinney – who will be seen in the new Logan movie. For DC Comics, I’m returning to one of my favourite things, the Injustice comics. And I’m also, believe it or not, writing a Justice League crossover miniseries with the Power Rangers. That’s ridiculous fun. As for what’s next, there are always things I can’t talk about, but there are definitely more exciting things lurking just out of sight.
