CASTLE: Andrew Marlowe and David Amann on Opening Up a New Mythology, Dream Guest Stars, and More
August 1, 2014 by Marisa Roffman
CASTLE’s sixth season ended in a way many fans didn’t expect: instead of Castle and Beckett tying the knot, he disappeared on the way to their wedding…and was presumed dead. But since the show is called CASTLE, it’s fairly safe to say the show won’t be going down that tragic path.
To get a little bit of insight into what’s to come, I sat down with CASTLE creator, Andrew Marlowe, and new showrunner, David Amann, to talk about season 7, how Castle’s absence is impacting the people who care about him most, and more…
What can you preview about the premiere?
David Amann: It’s going to be dealing with the aftermath of what happened in the season finale. We have some really intriguing questions that are going to arise from this about what happened to Castle. So we’re going to raise some interesting questions for the next couple of episodes in terms of what happened to Castle and why. It opens us up for some great mythology opportunities for CASTLE that we’ll also be probably revisiting later in the season.
What can you tease about the state Castle will be in when we see him in the premiere?
Andrew Marlowe: In the opening episode, we’re going to be dealing with what happened to Castle, and the ramifications of it are something we’re going to be dealing with through the course of the season.
What we’re hoping to do, and the reason we’re excited — because we know some fans weren’t — by the way we ended last season, is it gave us an opportunity to open up a new mythology element, because we know where we’re going. And if the fans give us a couple of episodes, I think they’ll see that pay off.
In the first couple of episodes, we will be wrestling with the questions of what happened to Castle, and it’s important for us to communicate to the fans that we’re not doing anything to radically alter the trajectory of the Castle/Beckett relationship. These are two people who are very much in love, who are going to be challenged by something here, but we’re not saying this is going to tear them apart or anything. It’s just a new set of circumstances that is going to create a mystery that is going to be part of the upcoming season.
The whole season isn’t going to be filled up with it, though. We’re going to deal with it in the first couple of episodes, we’re going to get back to the kinds of CASTLE episodes that we all know and love and expect, with a relationship that has deeper understanding, and also deeper curiosity to it. And it’ll also take that relationship to a much more interesting place, we feel. And so we know the fans were a little bit like, “What are you guys doing?” We have something planned that we’re kind of excited about, and we hope that people come back and play along.
DA: When we get through episode two, we will resolve some questions of what happened to him, but not all of them. [The open questions] will be hanging out there in ways that can’t be pursued any further [for the meantime]. But our plan is that we will reopen it later on.
AM: Quite possibly in the [mid-season] two-parter.
How is Beckett holding up post-finale? We saw her grief in the immediate aftermath, but will she at least be able to put her head down and try to get to the bottom of everything?
DA: She’s committed to getting to the bottom of what happened with Castle. That’s really her focus and her mission. She’s going to do that, and she’s going to take that as far as she can go to get answers. That’s what she’s focused on.
How are Martha and Alexis dealing with Castle’s absence?
DA: They’ve had a really difficult time. In episode one, there’s a protracted investigation that doesn’t really yield any answers. So there’s several months of not having any answers of exactly what happened. They’re kind of a mess. They’re upset.
I’m curious, I know the dedications in the books Castle has written
AM: I think it will be reflected in the acknowledgements, because Castle wasn’t around to write them. [Laughs] I think it’s a nice little Easter egg for fans to go out and buy the book and see certain aspects of that. I think they’ll get a kick out of it.
What fun cases are ahead that you can tease?
AM: We’re still putting stuff together…the first couple are playing off of [the finale resolution]. But we have a great episode coming up where it seems like our killer may be invisible. And, of course, our characters have a field day with that.
Is there any type of genre or pop culture phenomenon you’re really hoping to tackle this season?
DA: We have been talking for the last couple of seasons about wanting to do something that has a Western theme to it. That’s been on our radar for quite some time. It’s a delightful idea for a CASTLE episode, but we haven’t quite figured out what it is yet. It’s one of the things we’d like to land in a good way.
Is your dream cameo still Stephen King, Andrew?
AM: I’d love to get Stephen King.
He did UNDER THE DOME (which, admittedly, was based on a King book), so why not another Monday at 10 PM show?
AM: I know! It’d [also] be fun to get [William] Shatner on the show, wouldn’t it?
Absolutely. And hey, he’s following you on Twitter.
AM: Yeah…Stephen King would be awesome, I think Shatner would be awesome.
But the list of people that David and I want to work with, because we love television and we’re huge fans, there are a number of people I’d love to see on the show. I’d love to get [David] Duchovny on the show, because we have so many people who were X-FILES folks on our show. That would be a lot of fun.
But when you look at the TV landscape, there are so many brilliant people working. We have great people on our show. I know there are people who are jealous of the people who are on our show. You look at the folks out there, and there are lots of people you’d love to play with. We’re in this very rich time of television. We went through the Golden Age, people are calling it the Platinum Age, I think it’s now the Amex Black Card Age.
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CASTLE returns on Monday, September 29th at 10 PM on ABC.
Related:
CASTLE: Andrew Marlowe and David Amann on Their Job Shifts
ABC at TCA: Paul Lee on the CASTLE Showrunner Change
CASTLE Showrunner Andrew Marlowe Steps Down
CASTLE Season 6 Finale Post-Mortem: Andrew Marlowe on the ‘For Better or Worse’ Fallout
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I’m looking forward to see some Esplanie developpment this season 🙂
I read and rereading the interviews my question to Marlowe and the new showrunner how long do they expect the fan to keep come back take me word they drag out this Castle will not back next season
looks like the wedding will be dragged out for as long as it took Caskett to get together. You can’t lead fans on and then add episodes as if the wedding plans had never taken place. Late night soap opera extreme seems to be the order for season 7.
I don’t feel misled or annoyed by what took place in the finale. Anyone with tv watching experience should’ve known the wedding wasn’t going to take place without some interruption, however, I didn’t like the Beckett already being married plot. That was bad, imo, but I loved the rest of the episode for the most part and the Caskett moments especially. I think the finale went overboard, but it wasn’t so awful as some fans are making it. I’ve seen much worse.
I am really excited about this upcoming season. I don’t care when Caskett marry because I know they will someday and already have a relationship some married couples would be jealous of. It’s tv. I don’t need a fictional wedding to convince me Castle and Beckett love each other. A wedding does not make a marriage or a relationship, the two people involved in it do and Castle and Beckett are so good together!!
I am also really excited about this new mythology. I can’t wait!!
This is sad and a major misstep. A wedding doesn’t make a relationship, but it does complete a story arc. It would have been better to do the wedding and then introduce the new mythology. Then it would actually be a new chapter and not just dragging this one out. This way feels like a reset instead of being a continuum. Lois and Clark made similar kinds of mistakes in stalling the wedding – and tanked their show. L&C also was on the same network as Castle….
I for one like the ending of season 6. AM had us all excited to what is about to happen on Sept29th. One thing for sure he has us all talking on Facebook about the up coming season. It will be good and it will all come together.
I do not see any cause for alarm and predict a wedding sooner than most seem to think. No wedding would be radically altering the progression of castle and beckett’s relationship in my opinion. That’s one problem with social media and on line fan forums…once a consensus of opinion takes hold everything is viewed through that prism of opinion and unfortunately last year’s finale, while pretty cool in terms of setting up a story for this year, just hit die-hard fans as a betrayal. So the assumptions are wedding delays, break-ups, angst, etc. I don’t see it playing out that way as we’re too far n the story here. It’s like reading a good book … Only difference is that the book was interrupted after a really exciting and challenging chapter! I for one look forward to picking it up again and seeing how it unfolds (and it is one where we can’t read the ending first!)
I just hope they don’t start releasing information about season 7 before it even starts! I know some just can’t wait to see the new episode but lately they spill so much about the show before it starts that it is a letdown when it comes on. I look forward to the September start but please keep it a surprise until it is on, don’t spoil it by showing too many promos! I want to be entertained and surprised! P.S I do hope they repaire that Kate being married before debacle! that was a real miss step imo! Completely ruined an important aspect of Beckett’s character.
What ever happens, I am all in. The brilliance of the Castle writers is second to none. The whole cast makes any script awesome. AM and DA will figure things out to make the next set of storylines great.
Excellent post from Bj. I totally agree. Social media trends can be infectious and can create unnecessary negativity.
I wasn’t totally enamoured by the finale myself but mybreasons were born out it the rather poor plot line of having Beckett already married. There were so many loopholes and anomalies that were glaringly obvious. As for the wedding, I knew that would not happen after such a huge build up. It’s Classic in most TV procedural shows.
I welcome the new series and look forward to the ‘new mythology’ .
Seriously, another quest for justice on the part of Beckett!? You are making her rather quixotic, Marlowe and Amann.
Can’t you be creative with the forward journey of the couple in the midst of procedural investigations, rather than dragging not so “organic” storylines from the past?
At this rate, your end of the series may be in the middle of the season.
Marlowe promised a musical in this season in the Paley Fest in 2012 for the fourth season. I’m expecting this so badly. And seriously, more Esplaine & the wedding or i’ll die.
Well I really don’t want them to delay the wedding I think there are people said if it is dragged out their done! Don’t want that to happened. I’m afraid it will end before. They move on,
It would break my heart! Yes they are deeply in love looks like toucher if drag on to long. Hope they think it over! Oh well I’ll be there to the end! Thanks for all the work involved, thank you too for letting our voices.be heard!v
Lots of talk, no action. Out of patience with the show. Get em married. Stop with the antics.
OMG I would love Steven King on the show. As a native Mainer who went to his son’s rival high school I got to interact with him a lot and he is such a down to earth guy. He is so supportive of local businesses, libraries, hospitals, and schools. I think it would be great to see Nathan interact with him.