How Limitless Evolved From A Great Movie To An Anticipated TV Show
This Fall, CBS takes Limitless to a new level with a new leading man.
Posted on Aug 11, 2015 | 09:50am
During a Television Critics Association panel in Beverly Hills on Monday, the cast and producers of the show revealed more about Brian Finch (Jake McDorman), an everyman who discovers a way to become one of the smartest people on the planet: the powerful neuro-enhancing drug NZT.
Once they realize the implications, the FBI enlists Brian to solve their most confounding crimes.
Executive Producer Alex Kurtzman posed a question that defines the character, "Who am I really going to be now that my dreams didn't work out?" It's a storyline Kurtzman had heard before, but now that Brian gets a unique second chance, he sees a more compelling prospect.
Limitless is a fast-paced procedural, and a sequel to the movie of the same name. Brian takes center stage from Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper), who starred in the movie and will continue to appear in the series.
McDorman says that one thing separates the two characters: their instincts. While Eddie might write a brilliant screenplay or cash in through the stock market before seeking his next dose of NZT, Brian "sees every option laid out in front of him, especially now that it's his second chance. He starts to think about how he can help somebody else."
Earlier in the writing process, Brian was going to spend a lot of his newfound mental energy saving a girlfriend. Cooper, also an Executive Producer for the show, realized that might paint the writers into a corner. Instead, Brian's altruistic efforts will focus on his dad.
"Brian loves his father more than anybody in the world, and also has to lie to his father," said McDorman. "He'll be facing that consequence over and over again."
Executive Producer Craig Sweeny indicated that audiences will see two distinct sides of the character. "You still want to see Brian as baseline Brian," he said. "It's not like he's going to be on NZT all the time."
McDorman said that when he acts like he's on the drug, which lasts for 12 hours, he improves his posture, makes eye contact, and every gesture is very deliberate. "It's not that all of a sudden you're excitable. You're not on speed," he said before throwing his voice into a more laid-back tone. It's more that, "Everything that you're discovering is so obvious."
That duality is "kind of like a playground," said McDorman, and something the actors bonded over. "When Bradley first talked to me about the role, he told me it was one of the funnest parts of the movie."
McDorman described the casting process as surreal. "I got the script from my agents with a note saying it's one of their favorite pilots this year," he recalled. They told him that Cooper was interested in him for the lead. "I thought it was just something agents say," he chuckled.
That was until he wound up at an Oscar party, where Cooper came over to start selling him on the show. "We nerded out about expanding the universe of the movie," McDorman recalled.
Once they realize the implications, the FBI enlists Brian to solve their most confounding crimes.
Executive Producer Alex Kurtzman posed a question that defines the character, "Who am I really going to be now that my dreams didn't work out?" It's a storyline Kurtzman had heard before, but now that Brian gets a unique second chance, he sees a more compelling prospect.
Limitless is a fast-paced procedural, and a sequel to the movie of the same name. Brian takes center stage from Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper), who starred in the movie and will continue to appear in the series.
McDorman says that one thing separates the two characters: their instincts. While Eddie might write a brilliant screenplay or cash in through the stock market before seeking his next dose of NZT, Brian "sees every option laid out in front of him, especially now that it's his second chance. He starts to think about how he can help somebody else."
Earlier in the writing process, Brian was going to spend a lot of his newfound mental energy saving a girlfriend. Cooper, also an Executive Producer for the show, realized that might paint the writers into a corner. Instead, Brian's altruistic efforts will focus on his dad.
"Brian loves his father more than anybody in the world, and also has to lie to his father," said McDorman. "He'll be facing that consequence over and over again."
Executive Producer Craig Sweeny indicated that audiences will see two distinct sides of the character. "You still want to see Brian as baseline Brian," he said. "It's not like he's going to be on NZT all the time."
McDorman said that when he acts like he's on the drug, which lasts for 12 hours, he improves his posture, makes eye contact, and every gesture is very deliberate. "It's not that all of a sudden you're excitable. You're not on speed," he said before throwing his voice into a more laid-back tone. It's more that, "Everything that you're discovering is so obvious."
That duality is "kind of like a playground," said McDorman, and something the actors bonded over. "When Bradley first talked to me about the role, he told me it was one of the funnest parts of the movie."
McDorman described the casting process as surreal. "I got the script from my agents with a note saying it's one of their favorite pilots this year," he recalled. They told him that Cooper was interested in him for the lead. "I thought it was just something agents say," he chuckled.
That was until he wound up at an Oscar party, where Cooper came over to start selling him on the show. "We nerded out about expanding the universe of the movie," McDorman recalled.