Black Summer Strikes Back Hot; Earns A Second Season On Netflix

Today I was fortunate to communicate with David Michael Latt, the co-founder and CEO of The Asylum, whose company produces the smash hit Zombie show, Black Summer.

Black Summer is a Netflix Original series and is a prequel, of sorts, to the SyFy show Z Nation, which can also be found on Netflix.

My questions are in bold, and Mr. Latt’s answers are in plain text.

What was the biggest challenge getting your hit show Black Summer off the ground from the very start?

Lots of moving parts. Our initial plan was to continue our partnership with SyFy – since we were doing Z Nation (and this was an origin story of that show) – but SyFy didn’t want a spinoff. We had to convince Netflix that BLACK SUMMER would be a great original. Larry Tanz saw the value at Netflix, and he was further assured with our Co-Creator Craig Engler that Black Summer would be a breakout series.

My partner David Rimawi is also great at what he does. He pushed this series hard and didn’t stop until there was a deal. I benefit by taking all of the credit but doing little work.

How many seasons would be ideal for your and Karl’s plans to play out the entire story of Black Summer?

Now that Z Nation is done…does 100 seasons sound too greedy?

Which character on Black Summer Season 1 are you the most like or that you most identify with?

For me, the great thing about the show is that I relate to everyone. There is so much humanity to each character; it’s hard not to relate. I would live, die, run, fight, make dumb choices…everything they would do in a zombie apocalypse.

Thank you, sir, for taking the time to respond to my questions.

Thank you for the opportunity!

Summary and Check Out My Season 1 Review

I want to thank Mr. Latt again for his time. No, 100 seasons of Black Summer does not sound greedy. It sounds just about right. And from what I hear, Mr. Latt's “little work” includes some, if not all, very long days.

For fans of Zombie shows, this is a huge renewal. To find out why you can read my review of the first season of Black Summer here.

Wait, But There’s More

Let’s get into a couple of additional points, which made the first season of Black Summer so successful and entertaining.

Rose

Rose is a mother who did everything she could do, under unimaginable circumstances, to get her daughter back. And she succeeded. She is the type of female role model that our world needs right now. Determined. Loving. Intelligent. A Leader.

Rose is an unstoppable force with only one objective in mind from the start. Along the way, she finds compassion and forms a group with a pack like a mentality to work together and survive. They aren't sitting around singing campfire songs together, but they do form a strong bond. They fight and have each other's backs, and that is more than enough to become a team of survivors.

I put the character of Rose right up there with Ellen Ripley from the Alien franchise, Sarah Connor from The Terminator franchise, Laurie Strode from the Halloween franchise, as well as Princess Leia and Rey from the Star Wars franchise.

The Two Iconic Moments

In my mind, two iconic moments occurred in season one. The first is well known and was used to promote the show.

Rose, played by the extraordinarily talented Jaime King, is chasing after the military truck, which her daughter Anna (Zoe Marlett) was still in and which left before her parents could get on board. Rose yells out, “You, wait for us” while running after her and reaching out toward her daughter. This was a compelling scene,

The other iconic moment, in my mind, is probably not what you are thinking. It is not the reunion at the stadium. The moment I am thinking of actually occurs in Episode 7, “The Tunnel.”

It is the instant that Rose has to make a tough decision. Does she trust “Spears,” played by the accomplished and incredibly talented Justin Chu Cary, after finding out Spears wasn’t who he said he was? Or does she go along with Bronk (Tom Carey) and Governale (Nathaniel Arcand), the two National Guardsmen, who she knows will most likely kill Spears? Let’s say that Rose chose her cup wisely.

What’s Next?

Per Jaime King’s video on Twitter, she will be a producer for season two. I am genuinely excited about this. She went on to say that “Netflix is a place that lets us deliver thrilling and poignant stories, and this next season is going to be so killer, so beyond that, I cannot wait.” Who knows what creative twists and turns she will help incorporate into the series. I feel her contributions will only make the show better.

Jaime also mentioned that John Hyams would be the showrunner for the second season, and he will also direct again. Abram Cox will be back as a director, as well. These two have delivered for The Asylum in the past, so there is no reason not to expect even greater things for the next season of Black Summer.

They’re Baaaaaack?

Hopefully, we will see Sun (Christine Lee) back again since she was one of the few survivors that made it to the stadium at the end. William Velez (Sal Velez Jr.) unfortunately didn’t make it. Since he was one of my favorite characters, maybe he can be brought back in a flashback episode or something. The Asylum, are you reading this?

Is there a chance we might see Lance (Kelsey Flower) back in season 2? He did have a head start on all of those hungry Zombies chasing him in the last episode. He certainly was prepared for the Zombie Apocalypse. He apparently must have watched Zombieland know that cardio is vital for survival. Or maybe it was The Running Man.

That’s All Folks

That is all I have for now. I would expect production to start early in 2020 and hopefully release on Netflix later in the year. If I hear about any new information worth passing along, I will undoubtedly share it.

This is Brian Z, surviving the Zombie Apocalypse, Black Summer Netflix style, round 2. Don’t forget to ask Netflix for a Z Nation Season 6! (A guy can still dream!)

You can follow me on Twitter: BrianZFandom