Wong Time Coming
Glen Morgan and James Wong talk Final Destination, The Others and the loaned Gunmen.
      by Sarah Kendzior

The Loaned Gunmen

Although they departed from The X-Files midway through its fourth season, the writing team has not broken from the show entirely. In the likelihood that the series' seventh year will be its last, 1013 Productions recently announced they were shooting a pilot centering around The Lone Gunmen, recurring characters which -- like X, Senator Matheson, the majority of the Scully family and many more -- were originally created by Morgan and Wong. "I'm shocked," admits Morgan. "'E.B.E.' I thought was done wrong, and I only pandered to the internet fans to bring them back. I'm shocked that they've gone this far. But I wish them a lot of success."

Wong conveys similar sentiments. "It's kind of crazy, isn't it?" he exclaims. "I was kind of shocked, actually, that they were doing that. But I hope it does well. First of all, we created those characters, so I like to see those characters live on, but also, the thing I like is that these aren't good-looking people. You know what I mean? You don't have the standard good-looking guy, great-looking woman. If it works, that would be great, it would show that an audience isn't just looking for a handsome leading-type man. I just hope they do it well." And for those fans wondering whether the latest Fox special may bear the title Who Wants to Hold Out On Glen and Jim's Money?, Wong confirms that they will receive some sort of financial compensation for the project.

Mention of their former employer brings forth conflicted emotions in the pair. "Fox, under Peter Roth, was a wonderful place," affirms Morgan. "Even during Space, I didn't like the network, but I liked 20th Television. The studio was okay." Following the 1996 cancellation of the year-old Space: Above and Beyond, the duo filmed several pilots to the network, all of which were rejected.

"I would still love to do Notorious," Morgan admits. "I don't know, it's hard to explain. It's weird, it's like you love these things so much, and then you realize they're gone. And to pick them up again, it's just a lot of heartache. You just kind of like to remember what it was, I guess. It's like, never look into a casket at a funeral, just remember them the way they were." Reflecting on the grimness of that statement, Morgan laughs, adding, "Hey, I throw some life advice in the morbidity too!"

The Notorious 7: Mob drama meets Dick Tracy comic camp, blended with slight of hand for a winning combination.

Given the recent turn of events for Fox, Wong finds the network's modus operandi perplexing, to say the least. "We had done a pilot that they didn't pick up -- again," he explains, referring to The Wonder Cabinet. "We were upset about that, and considering what they did pick up, and what a season they had, I don't think they could have done much worse." Adds Morgan, "Every day I pick up the paper and hope that the Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire scandal is even bigger than it was yesterday. You know, I was watching Dateline the other day, and they had a couple of the other contestants, and they were like, 'Oh, I'm so concerned for Darma' or Darva, or whatever her name is, and I'm like, 'She went on a game show to marry a guy!' What's the problem?"

Perhaps scarred by his years under the network, Morgan's own TV viewing is limited largely to The Simpsons and, especially, The Sopranos. "I would work craft services on that show," he enthuses. "Kristen [Cloke, actress and Morgan's wife] and I went to see Scream 3 and I'm like, I don't know how much longer this movie's going, but I'm in serious jeopardy of missing the theme to The Sopranos, so let's go! I love that show. Why the writers of The Sopranos don't have a fan club and the writers of The X-Files" -- including Morgan and Wong -- "do, I don't get that."

Morgan also expresses frustration with network television's refusal to acknowledge the growing power of cable programs like The Sopranos, which have cut into the mainstream market both creatively and financially. "The pilots that got shot down for us I'm sure would have gone on any other cable channels," he points out. "I've been telling my agent for years, but it's only recently that people have been saying there's an equal amount of money in cable. That's not even a concern for me. NBC has been great to us, but in general -- they're not learning anything. Our numbers on Saturday were down, and I say to an executive, 'What were the numbers on the Marc Anthony concert on HBO? Because our audience is primarily women 18-39. Did that concert affect us?' 'Oh, I didn't even think about that.' The networks are not learning about what's happening to them."

Marian Kitt (Julianne Nicholson) in NBC's The Others.

Commercial differences aside, however, both Morgan and Wong are content under the current creative guidance of Dreamworks, and express nothing but admiration and awe for The Others' famed executive producer. "To be honest, the opportunity to meet, let alone work with Spielberg was very much part of it," admits Morgan. "I was terrified of Steven, but he's been wonderful. And Dreamworks has been wonderful too; they've been very supportive."

"They were just saying all the right things," recounts Wong of the pitch that led them to the series, which revolves around an eclectic group of psychics who investigate the supernatural. "We just thought we could make a very scary, fun show with it. We have some upcoming episodes that are really kind of cool. The first two shows were probably our most conventional, and the shows that I'm probably least happy with. There's some weird ones coming up. I'm pretty happy with what we've done."

Morgan is more direct. "I think the first three episodes were awful," he says bluntly. "But the episode that airs on March 4th I'm pretty happy with. It's much smaller, it doesn't rely on pyrotechnics, it's trying to show a little more what the real psychic experience would be like." While The Others has gained repute for its prestigious slate of guest directors -- among them Tobe Hooper, Bill Condon, and William Malone -- the series will also contain contributions from individuals familiar to fans of Morgan and Wong's previous credits. An episode directed by Millennium's Thomas Wright is scheduled for later this season, and guest appearances will be made by actors James Morrison, Tucker Smallwood, Kristen Cloke, and, yes, the elusive Darin Morgan.

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