Rockne S. O’Bannon on “Cult”” And Farscape”
By Abbie Bernstein

Writer/producer Rockne S. O’Bannon will be forever beloved as the creator of FARSCAPE, the four-season-plus-miniseries wild, emotional, hilarious, tragic tour of the far reaches of the universe that starred Ben Browder as astronaut John Crichton and Claudia Black as his lethal love interest Aeryn Sun. O’Bannon also wrote the feature film ALIEN NATION, which was turned into a television series that ran only one season – but then lived on in five serialized telefilms.

O’Bannon has now created and executive-produces CULT, which is airing on the CW Friday nights at 9. CULT has two storylines. In the show within the show, also titled CULT, written by the mysterious Steven Rae (which not coincidentally is O’Bannon’s real-life Writers Guild of America-sanctioned pseudonym) ex-cult member/current FBI agent Kelly Collins (Alona Tal) seeks to bring down cult leader Billy Grimm (Robert Knepper). In the show’s real world, where CULT is a TV series, journalist Jeff Sefton (Matt Davis) and CULT production assistant Skye Yarrow (Jessica Lucas) are trying to find out how the show and its following relate to the disappearance of Jeff’s brother, the death of Jessica’s father and several suicides. Tal and Knepper play, respectively, Marti and Roger, the actors who portray Kelly and Billy.
Read More→