Shiri plays Lilith, an immortal demon based on mythology from the Kabbalah (According to legend, Lilith was the 1st wife of Adam in the Garden of Eden; she was tossed out and became a demon after she wouldn’t sleep beneath Adam). In Darklight, she’s the sexy, tormented anti-heroine who becomes humanity’s last hope.
The movie also stars Richard Burgi (“24,” “Cellular,” Fox’s new “Point Pleasant” series), John De Lancie (Q on “Star Trek”) and David Hewlett (“Stargate: Atlantis,” “Cube”).
Superhero Hype! spoke to Darklight writer and director Bill Platt, who is a diehard fan of comics, sci-fi and horror. “‘Darklight’ is my first feature and I’m damn glad it’s a superhero flick,” says Platt. “I inherited my Uncle’s collection of ’60’s Marvel Comics when I was a kid and I’ve been obsessed ever since. I loved John Byrne’s FF & X-Men (particularly Kitty Pryde), Marv Wolfman & Perez’s Teen Titans, the Avengers, and anything drawn by Gene Colan (one of my all time favorites). I always loved that comic ‘Night Force’, even though it only ran for 12 issues — it had a great, gothic atmosphere.”
Platt tells us that the project was his chance to put those childhood fantasies on film, even if on a tight budget. “I like the idea that Lilith is sort of an anti-heroine, a dark character. One of my favorite flicks is ‘Escape From New York,’ and I love that Snake Plissken is an unrepentant bad-ass. We didn’t go quite that far, but I wanted an element of that in Shiri’s character.”
We asked Bill how the project came to the Sci Fi Channel. “They saw my NYU student film, Bleach, which won the Student Academy Award and played at Sundance. It was a sci-fi cop thriller, and the Channel wanted to launch a short film series, which ultimately became ‘Exposure’. I worked as a Producer on that for 2 seasons, helping a lot of young, indie filmmakers get their shorts on the air.”
Darklight is an origin story, about the birth of Lilith as a super-heroine. “Lilith has amnesia, and she’s living as an ordinary, 24 year-old woman (played by Shiri), trying to figure out her past. The circumstances of the movie force her to confront her true nature.”
Platt is really excited to have Shiri Appleby in the lead role. “I think she makes the character extremely accessible and relatable. She’s the young ingenue hero, kind of a female version of Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man, in regards to her age. And she handles the butt-kicking chores with extreme gusto.”
“I really hope people check out ‘Darklight’ — It’s made by a true fan and aficionado of the genre.” You bet we will! Darklight airs this Saturday, September 18th at 9PM.
Check out four exclusive pictures from the movie here, and don’t miss the new promo at the official website.
Source: Superhero Hype!
