Anthony E. Zuiker‘s reputation as a creative genius has long been established thanks to his work on the most-watched franchise in television history CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami, and CSI: New York; and with his new deal at ABC, his résumé is soon to become even more impressive. One of the top innovators in the movement to introduce new platforms for consuming entertainment, Zuiker is hard at work creating groundbreaking projects for his new venture at Google while working concurrently on television development at ABC. The executive producer discusses his upcoming development slate and the future of the CSI franchise with CSI Files’ Shane Saunders.

CSI Files: It’s a new year, new projects. How is 2012 looking so far for Dare to Pass?

Anthony E. Zuiker: It’s looking great. We’re very excited to be at ABC and working on our development for the year, and also Chameleon. We’re off to a great start. I can’t believe that it’s almost February.

CSI Files: What’s in development at ABC that you can talk about?

Zuiker: I’m writing the script for Chameleon. It’s basically an undercover show about a female agent who does different costume changes to take down the bad guy, so I’m writing that as we speak. We have other shows I can’t quite get into for next season that we’re developing. We have a roster of five-to-seven projects for next season that we’re just starting to get into now.

CSI Files: Your memoir Mr. CSI has been out for a couple months. What kind of feedback are you getting?

Zuiker: Pretty good feedback. I think people are happy to read an autostory to kind of get some perspective on a person behind a show. It’s a human rags-to-riches story and a real story that I think people can relate to. I’m very proud of those efforts and I’m very proud of that being left behind for people to read and enjoy. A lot of people ask me, “How do you do what I did?” and I think the great metaphor about the book is one great idea and a little bit of luck can turn into something fantastic. Everybody can have the same opportunity I had.

CSI Files: The way you came into the business is a rather interesting story and you touch on it in the book. Do you think it’s harder to get into the entertainment industry today than it was in 2000? What advice do you have for those trying to break in now?

Zuiker: I don’t think it’s necessarily harder, I just think it’s different. The advice I have for young people or whoever wants to get into the business is it all comes down to the same core principles: talent, perserverance, networking, luck, and opportunity. I think those are the five things that matter whether you’re a producer or a director or a writer. The great thing about being a writer is it’s relatively inexpensive to write a piece of intellectual property that can be shopped around town. Hollywood is a beast that needs to be fed in terms of material and as long as that’s the case, everybody has a ticket to play it.

CSI Files: Your background is in writing, but you also directed the first two installments of the Level 26 series. Are you planning on getting more involved in directing?

Zuiker: Sure. Primarily I’m a writer, so we have a lot of work to do in that area. Eventually, as things open up, I think I’ll direct more. I do enjoy it. But my primary focus right now really is writing.

CSI Files: The final installment of the Level 26 series came out last month. The digi-novel concept was quite a success, but is there anything you would change about the next series?

Zuiker: I think we probably would putforth more efforts to make sure that the app version of the book topped the last one. I believe that Dark Prophecy pretty much is a blueprint for the future of publishing. If we did more books, we would want to progressively make that app better and better. I’m not sure there’s anything we can do much more on the novel side; you try to write the best novel you can and direct the best videos you can. It’s in the app space that things get very interesting. We would focus more on making sure that we kept topping ourselves in the app space.

CSI Files: There isn’t an app for Dark Revelations–are you planning on developing one?

Zuiker: Not at this time. We really put all of our efforts inside Dark Prophecy. If we do embark upon a new venture for the digi-novel, we’ll probably hit the ground running and make one for the book launch.

CSI Files: Your new company BlackBoxTV will be making its way to YouTube later this year. What genres are you looking to tackle?

Zuiker: We’re doing horror, thriller, and Sci-Fi. We’re very excited. As we begin to embark on a new level of storytelling under the Google umbrella and YouTube, they’ll allow us to do more original content as a company and dabble in the interactive space. It’s very exciting and could lead to what the future is in our business.

CSI Files: Is there talent booked for any of the projects that you can reveal?

Zuiker: I’ll tell you we have A-list talent that we’re about to close. We’re definitely going out for top-level talent going forward.

CSI Files: I want to segue a bit over to CSI. How do you think the franchise is doing? Is it looking like one of the series may be in its final season?

Zuiker: I don’t think so, I think the franchise has never been stronger. I feel like all the shows are having banner years. Ted Danson [DB Russell] has done a remarkable job stepping in for CSI and we’re looking forward to Elisabeth Shue [Julie Finlay] going forward. The episode the other night was fantastic and I just feel like to have this kind of staying power in Season Twelve, Ten, and Eight for all three shows is remarkable. This could be, arguably, one of our strongest franchise seasons yet.

CSI Files: Have you discussed doing another project with Marg Helgenberger (Catherine Willows)?

Zuiker: I have not talked to her personally about that. I mean, obviously, she’s someone that we always keep on the tip of our tongues, so if she’s willing to do something else for television, it definitely has my interest.

CSI Files: Were you involved at all with the casting of Elisabeth Shue?

Zuiker: We talked about it. I think that is a phenomenal choice. Elisabeth Shue is a very special actress. I’m a fan, obviously, of Cocktail and Leaving Las Vegas. She’s very selective in what she chooses to do. She’s someone that I think is hard to get for television, but to be able to say ‘yes’ to this franchise and work along Ted Danson is something I’m looking forward to watching. To me there is no better choice than Elisabeth Shue. I just think she’s that type of special actress.

CSI Files: In Season Nine the show went through several transitions as well: William Petersen (Gil Grissom) left, Laurence Fishburne (Ray Langston) and Lauren Lee Smith (Riley Adams) came in; do you think the show will approach the changes more smoothly than it did a few years ago?

Zuiker: Look, the thing is the fabric of a TV show has changed. Sometimes the change is abrupt and sometimes change is slow going, but I think the way things rolled out this year is the appropriate way to roll it out. We introduced Ted Danson and he had about ten-to-fifteen episodes under his belt before we introduced the exit of Marg Helgenberger and the ease of Elisabeth Shue. I think the audience is tolerant of change when they understand why there’s a change. The writers have done a great job of making sure character-wise, it makes sense why characters are exiting and joining the show. As you can see from Ted Danson we’ve never missed a beat, and it’ll be the same way with Elisabeth Shue. Marg Helgenberger can never be replaced or forgotten, and we believe Elisabeth Shue can help evolve the show.

Follow Anthony E. Zuiker on Twitter: @zuiker

Shane Saunders is a freelance writer and reviewer. His work can be seen on EDGE Network and ShaneSSaunders.com. Twitter: @ShaneSSaunders.

CSI creator Anthony Zuiker releases the final digi-novel in the bestselling Level 26 trilogy.

Title: Dark Revelations: A Level 26 Thriller Featuring Steve Dark
Author: Anthony E Zuiker with Duane Swierczynski
Release Date: December 29, 2011
Publisher: Dutton
ISBN: 978-0-525-95197-1
Price: $26.95

[Please note that this review contains spoilers for the first two books in the Level 26 series.]

Dark Revelations is the third and final installment in CSI creator Anthony Zuiker’s hit Level 26 series of “digi-novels”, which he co-wrote with Duane Swierczynski. Like the first two books, Dark Origins and Dark Prophecy, Dark Revelations combines traditional reading with video “cyber bridges”. These bridges are short segments that can be accessed on Level26.com using codes sprinkled throughout the book. The digi-novel is an interesting, exciting way to consume the narrative, and the concept has evolved since the first novel. Out of the three books in the series, Dark Revelations best represents the digi-novel as it was envisioned.

The final book in the trilogy centers around the hunt for Labyrinth, a smart, sophisticated criminal with a message behind his murders. He’s always several steps ahead of the authorities, and it takes a man like Steve Dark to come close to capturing him. Introduced in Dark Origins as a tortured man whose ability to track the worst of the worst is both a gift and a curse, Dark has come a long way since the start of the series. He’s still good at what he does, but he’s a different man these days. The hunt for Sqweegel in Dark Origins left him a broken man after the loss of his wife Sibby, and he spent Dark Prophecy trying to balance his tormented psyche with the demands of fatherhood. Little Sibby, named after her late mother, provides Dark with a reason to fight his own inner demons, and that struggle continues in Dark Revelations. Fortunately, it feels like Dark is starting to reconcile the two disparate parts of himself, and the final book in the trilogy finds him dealing with his issues in a way that bodes well for his future as a man and as a father.

When the Level 26 series began, Dark was working with the Special Circs division of the United States government. He left Special Circs at the start of Dark Prophecy, but he couldn’t give up the hunt. A mysterious woman named Lisa Graysmith found him and offered him an intriguing proposition: he could have unlimited resources at his disposal to track down monsters like the Tarot Card Killer featured in that novel. When Dark Revelations gets underway, Dark learns more about his mysterious benefactors as he is invited to join the organization: Global Alliance. It’s a small group featuring the best agents from around the world, and they work together to use their unique, impressive skills to track down the worst criminals imaginable.

Overall, Global Alliance is a bit too omnipotent. It provides Dark with unlimited resources, but it also seems to have an unreasonable amount of power worldwide. Despite the fact that Dark has never heard of this group before, it seems as though every single law enforcement officer they encounter recognizes the logo. Dark only has to flash his cellphone to get complete, unquestioned access to anyone and anything he wants. The leader of Global Alliance, a secretive billionaire named Damian Blair, says the organization is supported by governments around the world, but they don’t answer to anyone but themselves.

With the introduction of Global Alliance, Dark Revelations brings some new characters into the mix, including Natasha Garcon, a beautiful and brilliant linguist with a (perhaps unbelievable) list of skills. She provides a tantalizing romantic prospect for Dark, but the character doesn’t get much development throughout the novel as the narrative focuses on Dark and his latest nemesis. The other two members of Global Alliance, Hans Roeding and Deckland O’Brian, are also superficially sketched, and I would have loved to learn more about the weapons expert and computer genius.

Dark’s old colleagues in Special Circs are still around, but their role in Dark Revelations is greatly diminished. Lab tech Josh Banner gets a few scenes early on, and Constance Brielle is limited to one brief but meaningful exchange with Dark’s former boss, Tom Riggins. Riggins, meanwhile, sticks around longer than the others, and he gets to participate in the action of the novel despite the fact that Special Circs is all but defunct.

The relationship between Dark and Riggins was one of the high points of Dark Origins, although it was nearly absent during the turbulent events of Dark Prophecy. It returns a bit in Dark Revelations, as Dark continues to wrestle with his demons—particularly the demon that haunts him the most, Sqweegel. Sqweegel was the twisted, forensic proof serial killer introduced in Dark Origins, and he is perhaps the most recognizable symbol of the Level 26 series. (In fact, Black Sqweegel, a character teased at the end of Dark Origins and the start of Dark Prophecy, appeared in an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation named after him.)

Sqweegel was the monster who nearly destroyed Dark. The killer murdered his entire foster family, and Dark’s wife Sibby also fell victim in the end. Dark captured and killed Sqweegel, but his memory continues to haunt Dark throughout the rest of the trilogy. Dark Origins teased the true relationship between Dark and Sqweegel, and Dark Revelations brings the truth to light and forces Dark to face it. The inner conflict brings the series full circle, and it’s satisfying for longterm readers who wanted to see how that storyline would be resolved. It ties in with a question the characters—and readers—have been asking through the entire series: is Dark going to the dark side? Will he become one of the monsters he hunts? Dark Revelations provides an answer without tying up every single loose end; while this may be the end of the series, this is certainly not the end of the line for Dark and the others.

Dark is the protagonist of Dark Revelations, but Labyrinth gets a great deal of focus as well, particularly in the cyber bridges. He has a message, and it’s a message he communicates brilliantly throughout the novel. He’s not just killing people for fun or for attention. Every single thing he does is meticulous and intentional, and he plans each move well in advance. In fact, he doesn’t even kill every victim. He’s always looking at the bigger picture, and his message catches on in the book via social networking sites. It’s a very modern story, and very relevant to the world we live in today. As Joshua Caldwell, who directed the cyber bridges, explained in his recent interview with CSI Files:

I think these bridges really feed into a collective sentiment that’s floating around out there, the idea that our world is corrupt, that we are not living up to our potential and that the majority of the people aren’t getting a fair shake. The timeliness of it was something that makes the book and the bridges really unique.

Labyrinth is trying to draw attention to the decadence of the rich and powerful, the damage mankind is causing the environment, the corruption of the world’s governments—even if his methods are abhorrent, readers may find themselves identifying strongly with the message behind his words. Dark Revelations is a great crime thriller, but it also provides plenty of food for thought once the reader is finished with the story.

Hal Ozsan portrays Labyrinth in the cyber bridges, and he’s a great choice for the role. To all appearances, the character is handsome, charming and non-threatening to those around him. He easily gains the trust of others, and he blends into any environment without seeming the slightest bit out of place. However, his thoughts, presented in the novel from a first-person point of view, reveal his fanaticism and offer a clue about how his mind works.

There are only eight cyber bridges in Dark Revelations, which is down from twenty in Dark Origins and eleven in Dark Prophecy. The bridges strike the right balance between those from the previous novels, proving how much the digi-novel concept has evolved since the series began. Book one featured a variety of scenes that tied into the novel, although some felt unnecessary or distasteful. Book two took a different approach, and each cyber bridge was part of an hour-long short film featuring Dark at a tarot card reading which tied in with the book’s plot. The bridges in Dark Revelations return to the format of Dark Origins, where each video is relevant to a particular segment of the novel. Overall, the clips in book three focus on bringing Labyrinth and his message to life, giving readers a glimpse of a complex character and adding to the narrative that is presented in the novel.

Dark Revelations is an excellent ending to a series that has provided readers with a brand new way to consume a crime novel. The stories stand on their own as great thrillers with a believable, relatable protagonist and strong supporting cast. Additionally, over the course of three books, the concept of the digi-novel has really come into its own. I’d love to see future titles continue the tradition, and I wouldn’t mind seeing a few new novels with Steve Dark and the rest of the Level 26 cast at their heart.

Rachel Trongo is the news writer for CSI Files.

In 2009, Anthony E. Zuiker launched a brand new media platform. The Digi-novel concept was featured throughout the entire Level 26 franchise, Zuiker’s first project after leaving CSI. Now, just a little more than two years since Level 26: Dark Origins was released, the book series comes to an end, and with it, a final installment of cyber-bridges, a video feature that takes you beyond the pages of the book. Level 26: Dark Revelations contains eight cyber-bridges, each directed by Joshua Caldwell. Born in Bellevue, Washington, Caldwell joined Zuiker’s Dare to Pass Company in 2009, and has since taken the position as Director of Digital Media. In this interview with CSI Files’ Shane Saunders, the Dark Revelation director gives background to what his duties at the company involve, talks what it’s like working with the creator of CSI and being behind the camera for the epic conclusion of Level 26.

CSI Files: First off, let’s get a little background on you. You’re the Director of Digital Media at Dare to Pass, what exactly does your job entail?

Director Joshua Caldwell sets up a shot on the "CSI: NY" lab set to film "Dark Revelations." (Photo: Alex Minkin)

Joshua Caldwell: Basically, it works like this: Anthony is obviously the top creative force in the company and right with him is Matthew Weinberg, who oversees all the development and production. Orlin Dobreff is our Vice President, who produced the cyber-bridges for all three books. Then, there’s myself as the Director of Digital Media and David Boorstein, Director of Development. Like David is for our television business, I’m a conduit for all our partners on the digital side for anything coming into Dare to Pass, or anything that might be going out. In the case of the third Digi-novel, that ended up being my project to run, with Anthony and Matt overseeing.

CSI Files: How did the job at Dare to Pass comeabout?

Caldwell: It’s a bit of a long story. Basically what happened was Matthew Weinberg co-ran a company called Guy Walks Into A Bar right before he joined up with Anthony and David Boorstein was his assistant. While they were still at Guy Walks, I had a script that got submitted to David–I didn’t know David at the time–and he read it and went to the producer at Guy Walks and said, “We gotta produce this.” Which they signed on to do. David and I grabbed drinks and stayed in touch. At the time, I was working freelance, odd jobs, and was at a point where I came to the decision that, regardless of what I was doing, I wanted to work in this industry, even if it wasn’t directing; there was just no giving up. And I realized that the only way to get there was to possibly take an internship and try to get my foot in the door. I contacted David to see if he knew of any opportunities–he and Matt were with Anthony at this point–and he gave me a call and said I should meet with Anthony and Matt. So I came in, met with the guys and started to intern. It was right around when the first Digi-novel was being released and the editor who cut Level 26: Dark Origins was no longer there. They needed some deliverables made and I said, “Hey, I know how to use Final Cut.” [Laughs.] So I started doing that and eventually my ‘in’ was as an editor. January of 2010 Matt pulled me into his office and they said they wanted to hire me full-time, and at the end of 2010, I was promoted to Director of Digital Media.

CSI Files: Were you familiar with Anthony’s work on CSI?

Caldwell: Of course I knew of the show but I’m not generally a big TV watcher, which my dad always gives me a hard time about.

CSI Files: You were the editor on Level 26: Dark Prophecy, which was directed by Anthony, and on Level 26: Dark Revelations, you got to serve as the director. How did you get the opportunity to direct the third series?

Caldwell: That’s probably more a question for Anthony, but I feel like it was a combination of the work I did on Dark Prophecy, as his editor working to fulfill his vision, and him seeing [and signing onto as an Executive Producer] my short film Dig. Obviously as we moved into late summer, Anthony had turned his attention back to TV, and it was really up to me, once we locked picture, to coordinate and shepherd the bridges through post and bring him the music, color correction, and sound mixes that he would both like and approve of. Following that, I co-wrote, produced and directed Dig in an effort to show Anthony and Matt what I was capable of as a director.

CSI Files: How daunting of a task was it to be directing the final chapter of the trilogy?

Caldwell: It never really felt daunting. I had a very clear vision of what they would be, having helped to developed the novel component with Matt, Anthony and Duane Swierczynski [the co-author of the series]. One of the things that I learned very early on, when I was directing in high school, was that no matter what I did visually as a director, no matter how good the talent was, no matter what was brought to it in that respect, if the script wasn’t great then the film itself wouldn’t be great. So lately, even with Dig, for me it’s all in the writing. Me and my writing partner Travis Oberlander, who co-wrote the screenplay for the bridges, spent a lot of time crafting it. Once we had the script in a great place, I felt very comfortable stepping on set and seeing this thing through. Anthony had done an amazing job setting up the world in the previous two books and cyber-bridges, that it made it easy to both fulfill that existing vision and bring my own thing to it.

CSI Files: You were very fortunate, you were able to get the actor who plays Steve Dark back. What kind of casting process was it like for the others? What was your involvement, and who did you have in mind for Labyrinth and the other characters?

Daniel Buran as Steve Dark in "Dark Revelations." (Photo: Alex Minkin)

Caldwell: There were a number of roles I filled immediately with actor friend of mine who I had worked with previously. Our casting director, Jennifer Cooper, did a fantastic job of setting up this marathon casting session where we filled out all the others. Every person in this is amazing. We got really lucky that she was able to find some really awesome people that would work for not a lot of money but deliver a performance at a really high level. Part of that is my job saying, “Yeah, you know, listen, if you’re in this, it’s not a paycheck, but it’s gonna be something special for you”, and then living up to that. Everybody came in and killed it.

Labyrinth was a tough one. He’s from Britain, so we had to find somebody who was British because you don’t want to bother with faking that accent. This limited our choice of who we could get, especially for the amount of money we had available. And then beyond that, with an already small pool of potential people, we had to find somebody that could live up to who this villain was within the book. He needed to be worldly, a soldier, an assassin; someone who is very, very intelligent, charming, could pass through the party of wealthy aristocrats in Europe, who came off as a thinker and a bit of a renaissance man and you had to believe that he is capable of killing someone. We had to find all these different qualities within one person and he also had to be British and live in LA.

We met with some talented actors, and they would have worked, but they just wouldn’t have had that one extra little thing that would have pushed this character over the edge. As a last minute thing, Jen sent me one more “Hey, check this guy out.” His name was Hal Ozsan and I looked at his reel, and I said, “We should definitely meet with him.” He comes in and he goes, “Alright, so of the two of you who wrote this, who’s the Libertarian?” [Laughs.] He immediately got the politics of it. He immediately got the message of it, and he was just a guy that really came off like he could operate within all these different worlds. Honestly, considering what we were up against in terms of finding somebody, it was a blessing to have him come in the room, want to do it, like it—and then, as a guy who’s a seasoned pro (who could have sleepwalked through this thing if he wanted to) came in and delivered an amazing and a very nuanced performance.

CSI Files: Who are your influences for when you direct something like this? Were you inspired by what Anthony did before, or was there another director you’re kind of taking bits from to add to it?

The "Dark Revelations" slate. (Photo: Alex Minkin)

Caldwell: You know, it’s interesting because I’ve reached a point where I feel like I’m less about trying to find how other directors do it and more about how can I do it. So I wouldn’t say that there are any directors that I referenced. Having directed a number of shorts and music videos over the years I’ve developed an aesthetic, a way of shooting, that works for me and delivers a specific result that, I feel, is unique to me and my vision. I think audiences are very smart, and they pick up on things consciously or subconsciously, and I like to use visuals in such a way that I’m tapping into that response. Beyond that, it’s an aesthetic that tends to work well with small budgets and short shooting schedules, because I shoot a lot of handheld and move very quickly. However, that’s a benefit of my way of shooting and directing, not a reason for it. Director of Photography Paul Niccolls, who shot this along with nine of my other projects, is a big additive to that as well. We know how to work together in a way that delivers that result I’m looking for, he’s looking for, keeps us on schedule but also, and this is probably most important, looks really good and interesting and different. I’ve reached a point where I’ve broken free from paying homage to or building off the aesthetics of other directors. Now it’s really about how I see it.

As I mentioned before, Anthony, in the previous two books, had done such an amazing job setting up this world and these characters that it was really easy to slip in there, bring something a little new, a little different, that fits well within the existing canon. He made it easy for me.

CSI Files: What was the major thing you learned about yourself while directing this project? Did you learn anything new about yourself, anything that you would add to future projects of yours, or anything in general?

Caldwell: Well, for one, I learned that I kind of agree with Labyrinth. [Laughs]. And that apparently, according to Hal, I’m a Libertarian. I think these bridges really feed into a collective sentiment that’s floating around out there, the idea that our world is corrupt, that we are not living up to our potential and that the majority of the people aren’t getting a fair shake. The timeliness of it was something that makes the book and the bridges really unique. Politics aside, I was really fascinated by a character who could commit some fairly heinous acts in the name of the world becoming a better place and make me say, “You know…I think I’m on his side.” That was the challenge in general, even for the audience, since Labyrinth, as far as the bridges are concerned, is our protagonist.

I’ve gained a lot more confidence as a director lately, having now directed Dig and the cyber-bridges this past year. I know that this is what I really want to be doing, and I think it’s what I’m here to do, to tell stories through film. To be given an opportunity like this with a generous budget, to work under the creator of CSI, to have him recognize the talent and/or ability in you to do this and give you the freedom to really make something special—and then to really like the result, it’s just very…Anthony ran the three biggest TV shows in the world, and for him to put his stamp of approval on something I’ve done means a lot to me. I think it shows that I’m capable of directing and doing it at a very high level, while at the same time doing it for a very limited budget and yet pulling off something that is still… This thing is fifty minutes long! We shot a TV show in five days! Despite that, watching it last night [at the cast and crew screening], people said it just feels big and epic. The funny part is that most of the scenes are dialogue heavy and they’re all interior. It’s great that my team and I were able to create this feeling of bigness despite limited means. And it’s rewarding to have Anthony tell me that he really likes them.

CSI Files: What’s the latest word with the movie? You guys were talking about how there’s a potential movie in the works on set, is there anything new with that?

Caldwell: No, we haven’t even had a chance to discuss it. There’s certainly the possibility, I know we’ve talked about it. It’s come up every now and then, but in reality it’s just not something on our slate right now. Something we definitely want to do, but we haven’t really had any actual, serious talks about it.

CSI Files: What’s your next project that you’ll be working on?

Director Joshua Caldwell takes over the "CSI: NY" autopsy room to film "Dark Revelations." (Photo: Alex Minkin)

Caldwell: Anthony/Dare to Pass, along with Tony Valenzuela and Collective Digital Studio are teaming up on a YouTube channel called BlackBoxTV that will be debuting next April as part of YouTube’s premium content initiative. We’ll be producing roughly 40-50 short films as part of an anthology series over the next eight months and I’ll be coordinating development of that on behalf of Dare to Pass. Hopefully, there will be the chance to write and direct a few but the primary focus for me in 2012 is fulfilling my duties at Dare to Pass and getting our digital arm up and running. We’ve got some very exciting things coming up this year.

Follow Joshua Caldwell on Twitter: @Joshua_Caldwell

Shane Saunders is a freelance writer and reviewer. His work can be seen on EDGE Network and ShaneSSaunders.com. Twitter: @ShaneSSaunders.

Source: Twitter

CSI: New York fans will recognize the lab set, which was also used for the first two Level 26 digi-novels, Dark Origins (review) and Dark Prophecy (review):

Joshua Caldwell on WhoSay	Joshua Caldwell on WhoSay	Joshua Caldwell on WhoSay
Joshua Caldwell on WhoSay		Joshua Caldwell on WhoSay

CSI Files: 2011 has in many ways been a year of change for you. How are you approaching this next chapter of your career?

Anthony E. Zuiker: Well, we’ve had a dream run at CBS with all the success of CSI, CSI: Miami, and CSI: NY. For the first TV script I wrote to be CSI and turn into this kind of franchise is just an unbelievable blessing. And, after twelve seasons and arguably doing thirty years of television—season twelve, season ten, and season eight—I’m looking at the future for ABC to bring them the next hit and try my creative luck somewhere else. CBS is just so successful with hits it was just time for me to try something else in the second half of my career and ABC seemed to be the most passionate to allow me to do that.

CSI Files: Now, your production company [Dare to Pass] shifted from CBS to ABC. What does this mean for the CSI franchise over at CBS?

Zuiker: Nothing really changes over at CBS. Everybody over there that run the shows are incredibly talented and I think Ted Danson [DB Russell] is an amazing choice. I think he’s going to do a wonderful job over there. So, I’m still involved loosely in the day to day but nothing really changes. The focus is to keep doing great television.

CSI Files: So, hypothetically, say you were to launch another CSI show: would that air on CBS or ABC?

Zuiker: Well, I’m definitely not launching another CSI show.

CSI Files: Okay. Now on that topic, there have been several comments over the past few years about a CSI film. Is this something that you’re pursuing?

Zuiker: No. To my knowledge there’s no plans to do a CSI film in the future. There have been some loose talks about it, but I think the main focus of the franchise is to keep the franchise healthy for all three shows.

CSI Files: Season Eleven marked your return to CSI after working on other projects for the past several seasons. Did it feel like you were back at home, so to speak?

Zuiker: Well yeah, returning to CSI after taking a couple of years to do other things was really refreshing. I think when you step away [and] come back you have a whole new perspective and appreciation for the franchise that was built from scratch by the same people: Carol [Mendelsohn], Ann [Donahue], and Pam [Veasey]. I really had a great time connecting with some of the new writers and some of the crew members; I was welcomed back with open arms. We had a lot of fun launching the first half of the season and also working on “Sqweegel.”

CSI Files: Was it hard juggling show-running duties while also promoting your latest novel Dark Prophecy?

Zuiker: Well, I wasn’t show-running. I was there as an executive producer and to help out with the writing. But yeah, it was a little challenging to be working on CSI full-time and launching a major book. It was a challenge, but it was all doable.

CSI Files: You just mentioned Sqweegel from last season. Are you going to be writing another episode for him this year?

Zuiker: [Long Pause] I’m not sure if that’s going to happen this season in terms of my involvement. I hope the character makes an appearance. I’m not sure I’d make an appearance just because our focus is television for ABC. I think the audience would be excited if Sqweegel made a return.

CSI Files: The original show is airing on a new night and time. How do you think CSI will fare Wednesdays at 10pm?

Zuiker: I think Wednesdays at ten is a great opportunity for us to compete. I think Ted Danson is such an amazing choice for us there and we don’t have the necessary pressure of Thursday, which is a very competitive timeslot. I feel the franchise of CSI… the shows are incredibly strong, still. I think CBS is incredibly smart to move the shows around probably where they can really compete and win.

CSI Files: You just mentioned Ted Danson again. How involved were you with casting him on the show?

Zuiker: Well, we all talked about it. We knew there was a level of interest. He had my endorsement from the very beginning. I think it’s just a smart choice. The one thing about our boss Les Moonves [President and Chief Executive Officer of CBS] is he just knows how to win and just knows how to pick ‘em. And Ted Danson is a TV icon and is really just the perfect fit for where the show is season twelve.

CSI Files: Marg Helgenberger, meanwhile, is leaving. Catherine Willows has been with the show since the very beginning; are you consulting on how to write the character off the show?

Zuiker: Well, I haven’t heard yet. We talked a little bit about her departure but I think that will eventually show itself as we begin to arc out the character. I think it’s too premature to have those discussions as of yet.

CSI Files: Looking back at season eleven was there anything that disappointed you or felt could have been done differently?

Zuiker: No. I think that we approach every season the same way. We call ‘em like we see them and we try to surprise an audience. I felt we had a really great season last season and again season eleven of any show is challenging, especially when you have two other shows competing against it, you know Miami and NY in terms of story lines and murders.

CSI Files: Prior to working on season eleven of CSI did you consider working on NY or Miami?

Zuiker: No. No, it really was CSI. I felt like it was time to get back to the roots and felt like the opportunity to put Sqweegel on CSI was pretty great. It was a forensic-proof killer being chased by a team of experts.

CSI Files: How are you feeling about the direction Miami and NY have taken? Are you happy with the more personal story lines those two seem to have?

Zuiker: Absolutely. I think that Miami and NY have really come up as one of the outstanding TV shows and our audience is at a place where they want to know more about our people. Miami and NY are delivering great story lines.

CSI Files: Speaking of NY, Sela Ward [Jo Danville] filled the void left by Melina Kanakaredes [Stella Bonasera]. What’s your take on Sela’s involvement with the show?

Zuiker: As sad as it was to have Melina go Sela Ward has seamlessly assumed that position. She has been a great breath of fresh air for that show in particular and really brings out the best in Gary Sinise.

CSI Files: Your production company has three new shows in development. Are there any guest stars or recurring actors from the CSI franchise that you’d like to bring over to your new projects?

Zuiker: Oh, it’s too early. We’re still in the development phase; I haven’t even pitched ABC anything yet. So it’s really too early to talk about casting. Again, once everything is gelled and pitched and written, if any role fits a particular former CSI actor it’d make sense. Of course we’ll talk to that particular actor, but it’s really in the early stages of that right now.

CSI Files: Level 26: there’s a new book out later this year, correct?

Zuiker: Yes.

CSI Files: Are you planning on filming cyber-bridges for this novel as well?

Zuiker: Yeah, we definitely are. We’re doing about seven or eight bridges this season. Joshua Caldwell, he works for our company, he’ll be writing and directing those this season for us. It’ll be the third and last of the installment of the Dark series. That’s been a very interesting experience. We’ve broken some great new ground for the next story and we think fans of Level 26 will enjoy the ending of a great three book series.

CSI Files: My final question for you Anthony is about Mr. CSI, which is also coming out this year. I’m assuming it’s a must read for CSI fans?

Zuiker: I think so. [laughs] I think if you’re curious about the personal journey of an only kid from Las Vegas who had a dream to one day do something extraordinary in entertainment, I think that you’ll enjoy sort of the man behind the idea of CSI. And then really understand that success is built by those around you and that the greatest success isn’t CSI in particular, but me being a father to my children and all the trials and tribulations that go on of becoming a success story and really a metaphor for how something great can happen to someone in the country. It’s not a tell-all, it’s not a gossip book; it really is an inspirational memoir which really documents somebody who came from nothing and did something extraordinary.

Level 26: Dark Origins (review) introduced Steve Dark, a skilled investigator who worked with the Special Circumstances (Special Circs) division of the federal government to track down the highest ranking serial killers. The first book in the series pitted Dark against Sqweegel, a twisted killer who wore a forensic proof bodysuit when he brutally murdered his victims. Book two, Dark Prophecy (review), jumped ahead five years and found Dark racing against his former colleagues in the Special Circs division as they searched for a torture-murderer with a penchant for tarot cards. The third and final novel in the Level 26 trilogy will be called Dark Revelations, and the titular Dark may find himself hunting for the most elusive serial killer yet:

In Dark Revelations, Steve Dark faces the most intricate, intense, and explosive case of his career. The killer calls himself Labyrinth, and the riddles, puzzles, and wordplay with which he announces his new targets have caused a worldwide media sensation. The case has already claimed a number of highprofile individuals as victims—not to mention several government agencies, which have tried and failed to stop a growing global panic. But what point is Labyrinth trying to make? Who will be his next victim? It’s up to Dark to assemble a team from among the smoking rubble of the international crimesolving community, find Labyrinth wherever he may be, and put a stop to the mayhem, once and for all.

Can Steve Dark solve the biggest riddle of them all? Only time will tell.

Dark Revelations is scheduled for a December 29 release, and it is currently available for pre-order from Amazon.com and other online retailers.

Source: Twitter