The new CW series, The Passage, is getting a lot of buzz both on and off the screen for being one of the most exciting new series’ on television this season. Star Saniyya Sidney and her Passage team had the opportunity to recently sit down with Variety Magazine and talk the differences between the series and the novel.
The first difference for between the novel and series is the fact that the main character in the novel is white. Sidney, who was unaware that the literary version of her character was originally a different race, did not let that stop her from nailing her audition and bringing something different to 10-year-old Amy Bellafonte. “To be able to be an African-American girl that was originally white in the books, I’m honored, but I believe it’s no different,” Sidney said in her interview. “As long as you connect with how she is and just connect with Amy was important, and that’s what I put first before anything.”
If you are unaware of the Justin Cronin apocalyptic trilogy, the book and series focus on the ten-year-old orphan, Amy Bellafonte, who is at the center of an apocalyptic science experiment in a world that is afflicted by vampires and a deadly virus.
Another differentiation from the novel, is that Amy is four years younger than her TV counterpart. According to Fox Entertainment President, Michael Thorn, the variation in change was necessary to capture the depth of the role, which everyone agreed that Sidney pulled it off without a hitch.
“The age is funny because our actress is getting older and older every single day,” Thorn said. “We needed an actress who could play that part and carry the weight of saving humanity in a way where she could be childlike but grow into this heroine, and so for us, it wasn’t about the most specific age. It was about, who’s this actress who could carry it?”
And finally, the last character switch between the novel and series is gender. Shauna Babcock, a test-subject vampire, who was originally male in the novel, is female in the series. “I think it’s incredible,” Babcock said in the interview of the changes. “I couldn’t be happier to get to be a part of it.”
Whatever changes viewers can spot between the novel and book, it does not lessen the fact that this is one super FOX television show. Just in case you have missed it, check out the trailer below. If you have seen it, let us know what you think so far! We want to hear from you.
