Dig co-creators and stars addressed whether they were concerned that the Jerusalem-set series would have political ramifications as the series deals with Biblical prophecies amid mounting turmoil in the region.
Series co-creator and executive producer Tim Kring explained that Dig, which USA president Chris McCumber described as “a Da Vinci Code like thriller,” is at its heart a murder mystery and that as the story unfolds there are references to Biblical prophecies.
“The truth is we don’t take necessarily a stand on it, because this stuff is all out there,” said Kring during the TCA summer press tour panel for the series on Monday. “It’s actually real prophecies and there are real speculation about this and so our show doesn’t take one position. We just set this mystery inside this.”
Kring fielded questions with series stars Anne Heche and Jason Isaacs as well as co-creator and executive producer Gideon Raff.
“Nobody is what they seem and nothing is what it seems and even Peter is not what he seems,” said Isaacs, fielding a question about whether or not Orthodox Jews will be the villains in the series. “To say more than that would be to make it less fun for the audience.”
Kring added: “There are enough villains to go around.”
The panel also addressed whether filming would resume in Jerusalem in light of the fighting in the region.
Raff, who was born and raised in Jerusalem, explained that production is currently on a preplanned hiatus between the pilot and the remaining five episodes but that the team will continue to assess the situation.
“Our hearts go out to everybody in Israel and in Gaza over what’s happening right now,” said Raff. “And hopefully it will be resolved very soon.”
Other highlights from the panel included:
—Kring said he and Raff set out to do a closed-ended series that has a distinct beginning, middle and end. But the characters within the series could be brought back for another story.
—Isaacs opened up about what it was like filming in Jerusalem: “It’s heavy stuff. Whether you’re a believer or nonbeliever…Jerusalem is what’s called the 'Earth Navel,' the belly button. It’s where the ley lines cross and I didn’t believe in any of that stuff until I was standing in Jerusalem and you could just feel all of it.”
—Kring was asked if he had had any time to think about Heroes Reborn, which was greenlit by NBC in February. He stayed mum on the series, only saying that he is focused on right now on Dig.
—“I like women who have a sense of themselves and who they are even in serious situations…I really like complicated characters,” said Heche of the roles she tends to choose, adding that often her personality becomes a part of the characters she plays.
