NOS4A2 Star Teases How Similar the TV Series Is to the Book

When it comes to adapting well-known novels, some endeavors want nothing more than to take its title and reinvent the core concept in all-new ways. One of AMC’s biggest successes is its adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s comic The Walking Dead, which borrows elements straight from the source while deviating from the original narrative in exciting ways to ensure comic fans aren’t merely seeing a predictable story. The network’s adaptation of Preacher, on the other hand, constantly deviates from the original comic while ensuring they capture the tone of the book. With their upcoming adaptation of Joe Hill‘s novel NOS4A2, star Ashleigh Cummings teased the series drew direct inspiration from the novel on regular occasion.

“I went to the source material a lot,” Cummings shared with Entertainment Weekly. “I mean, there were certain scenes that were literally taken from the book and placed onto the screen. The book did a lot of my work for me. I would take the subtext, or whatever Joe Hill brilliantly wrote she was thinking, and I would place it on my script, so I had the same thoughts that book Vic was having.”

This isn’t to say that the show is a literal adaptation of the novel, as showrunner Jami O’Brien took the opportunity to explore new elements of the narrative.

“We definitely changed up the character little bit, because Jami wanted to stay with adult Vic, but we still wanted to have that emotional l arc and journey,” Cummings explained. “So, the 18-year-old Vic we meet onscreen is not the 18-year-old Vic we meet in the book. 18-year-old Vic in the book is much harder, colder. I think she has ice in her veins. But the Vic that we meet in our show still has a huge vulnerable soft heart. She has to learn to become the hero, I suppose, and she hardens over time, but we still have to create that journey.”

NOS4A2 introduces Vic McQueen (Cummings), a gifted young woman who discovers she has a supernatural ability to find lost things. This ability puts her on a collision course with the evil and immortal Charlie Manx (Zachary Quinto). Manx is a supernatural villain who feeds off the souls of children then deposits what remains of them into Christmasland – a twisted place of Manx’s imagination where every day is Christmas Day and unhappiness is against the law. Vic strives to defeat Manx and rescue his victims – without losing her mind or falling victim to him herself.

Tune in to the series premiere of NOS4A2 on AMC on June 2nd.

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