We sat down with two extremely talented Executive Producers of Legacies, Julie Plec and Brett Matthews, at San Diego Comic-Con. They gave us some hints about what’s to come in the new season.
Obviously we asked them about Hope’s sacrifice and what Mystic Falls looks like without her. Her absence is definitely felt, even though the other characters don’t remember Hope. Julie Plec told us, ““This whole launch of the season is about recognizing the holes inside of us and then what we’re doing to make ourselves feel good, for better or for worse.” We are very interested in seeing how all of the characters adjust to this new way of life they don’t even realize they’re living.
Matthews described Hope’s sacrifice as “inevitable” since it made sense as a “logical conclusion to the season.” It was also logical for Hope’s arc over the season. Plec and Matthews both spoke about Hope’s newfound ability to build relationships after losing so many people. Specifically, Matthews told us, “Just when she [Hope] wanted to be around those people is when she had to leave it behind.” As heartbreaking as it is, we can only hope that distance makes the heart grow fonder and when these relationships are rekindled, they are much stronger because of it.
We did our best to get information about upcoming cameos, but Julie Plec and Brett Matthews were pretty tight-lipped about it. They did say they had written a scene for Freya Mikaelson, Hope’s aunt and iconic witch, but there were scheduling issues since the actress who portrays her, Riley Voelkel also appears on Roswell, New Mexico. Plec and Matthews agreed that Kai Parker is a dream cameo, along with Candice King’s Caroline Forbes. Matthews said this about a potential cameo from the Saltzman twins’ psychotic uncle, “…I think that wouldn’t be a cameo. I think there’s a story there and I would be very excited to tell it.” We are ready to watch that story whenever they are ready to tell it.
We couldn’t finish the interview without asking about the biggest of bads, Malivore, and all the other fun monsters that pop in Mystic Falls. Plec shared that the Monster of the Week formula “…turned out to be some of the most fun that we have had as writers.” Matthews spoke fondly about what that format gives back to the show and added, “It’s all slimy goodness.” Just because Plec and Matthews are keen about a new monster popping up every week doesn’t mean we’ve seen the last of Malivore. Julie Plec shared, “We look at Malivore as on-going, Voldemort-esque threat.” As a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer herself, Julie compared the gooey Malivore to the now iconic Hellmouth. “In the way that Buffy had the Hellmouth…, we’re going to try and keep Malivore as that thing that hangs over our world constantly.” Here’s to hoping the Super Squad is up for fighting Malivore for many years to come.
We also spoke to Julie Plec and Brett Matthews about the Merge, the Super Squad, characters’ backstories, and a whole lot more!
Check out our full interview with Julie Plec and Brett Matthews below!