in

Footloose‘s Ren headlines Scream creator’s new show

With quite a few of his big-name peers doing TV these days – Dustin Hoffman, Holly Hunter, Nick Nolte, Charlie Sheen, Kiefer Sutherland ..erm, Steven Seagal – no surprise to hear Kevin Bacon’s been coaxed into doing a weekly show.

Deadline
‘s reporting that Bacon is fronting a new serial killer series from “Scream” scribe Kevin Williamson over at Fox.  The “Footloose” and “Flatliners” star has committed to 15 episodes of the show, as opposed to the usual 22 that networks ask of their stars.

It mightn’t have been Bacon’s decision to only have 15 episodes for the show’s first season; Fox, and quite a few of the other free-to-air networks, are trying to emulate the cable pattern by cutting down the number of episodes their series have in an attempt to lure big stars (who, by not having to commit to 22 episodes a season, will still be able to fit in films) and allowing for tighter, ”more impactful” storytelling.

The show is “described as an edge-of-the-seat thriller about a diabolical serial killer who uses technology to create a cult of serial killers, and a retired FBI profiler (Bacon) who finds himself in the middle of it”. It’s written and executive produced by Williamson. Marcos Siega, who has shot episodes of Williamson’s “Vampire Diaries”, will direct the pilot.

Bacon’s not unfamiliar to serial killer territory, he played one in the highly-underrated “Criminal Law” (1988).

Matt Wheeler Signs On For The Informant

Colin Firth reunites with Reese Witherspoon for West Memphis 3 Film