It's always a strong possibility that a pilot isn't going to receive a series order, but Syfy giving the greenlight to a Tremors mini-series that would see Kevin Bacon reprising the role of Valentine McKee, the character he played in the first TREMORS back in 1990, maybe (if potential director Richard Clark was correct) alongside his TREMORS co-star Fred Ward, seemed like one of the ultimate no-brainers. Fans were hyped, they wanted to see Bacon have a rematch with the subterranean creatures known as Graboids, and it was only going to be an eight episode mini-series. With the pilot directed by SPLICE's Vincenzo Natali already done, there were only seven more episodes left to make.
But Syfy passed on the mini-series.
Reeling from Syfy's shocking decision, pilot writer Andrew Miller took to his Twitter account to share a batch of behind-the-scenes images from the making of the pilot.
These pictures show Bacon as modern day Val, who looks like life has done quite a job of beating him down since we last saw him, give a look at articles that were written about the Graboid invasion, and reveal that the town of Perfection, Nevada has erected a statue in Val's honor.
Miller's story was set
25 years after Valentine McKee defeated the Graboids, and the man who once seemed destined for greatness is anything but. He’s a small-town hero whose glory days faded away with the monsters he braved and whose family moved on when he couldn’t let go of the past.
And yet McKee’s hoping that everything’s about to change. His grown daughter coming to visit on the heels of her graduation could signal a permanent homecoming. But no sooner than she arrives, strange and terrifying events make it clear the town is in danger.
Led by McKee, the gang from Perfection begins to uncover the spine-chilling truth of what’s hunting them. With the future looking darker than ever, these small-town heroes must shake off the dust of years to see what they’re made of.
Bacon's co-stars in the pilot included Emily Tremaine as Val's daughter Emily; John Ellison Conlee as Val's sci-fi loving, yoga-practicing best friend Harlan Maylor; Megan Ketch as returning character Mindy Sterngood, now a doctor who is also "an unanticipated threat"; Shiloh Fernandez as Nico Garza, who works in Earl's Graboid Waste Gobbling company; Toks Olagundoye as Jessica Florence, a city-chic civil engineer who has come to Perfection with plans to expand the access road; Hunter Parrish as the leader of a tribe of earth-worshipping Millenials; Ebonée Noel as the psychic Zoe; Brandon Jay McLaren as Toby, a likeable guy who nobody likes; Haley Tju as dirt-biking drug smuggler Jai; and P.J. Byrne as real estate developer Melvin, a character who was played by Robert Jayne in TREMORS, TREMORS 3, and the previous TV show. (And maybe Fred Ward as Earl Bassett?)
Hopefully the Tremors mini-series will be able to find a home on another network or streaming service. In the meantime, the sixth film in the franchise, TREMORS: A COLD DAY IN HELL, is being released on DVD and Blu-ray tomorrow, May 1st. You can pick up a copy at THIS LINK.