Director Adam Wingard has been dishing out solid horror features and shorts for a while now, but You're Next and The Guest were game changers so it was no surprise when his name started popping up all over the place. However, as you know, being attached to a project doesn't necessarily mean it's a go. But, in Wingard's case, production delays turned out to be a blessing because it gave him the time to jump into his first TV project - the pilot episode of Outcast.

The show is an adaptation of the comic from Robert Kirkman and artist Paul Azaceta. It focuses on Kyle Barnes (Patrick Fugit), a young man living in isolation due to his encounters with demonic possession. However, now Kyle is attempting to turn things around by finding out why he has special abilities and how he can use them to help others.

Prior to the pilot's world premiere screening at SXSW I got the chance to sit down with Wingard to talk about tackling his first supernatural project, making the move from film to TV, the process of directing a pilot and then passing the torch to other directors for future episodes, and loads more. You can catch it all in the video interview below.

Outcast premieres on Cinemax on June 6th. In case you missed it, click here to check out the trailer because it's fantastic.


Adam Wingard:

  • 00:04 - Why he chose to make the move from film to TV for Outcast.
  • 01:23 - The problem with exorcism movies and what Outcast does differently.
  • 02:37 - Tackling a supernatural project after having made so many slasher-type films.
  • 04:15 - Directing a pilot knowing that other directors will helm future episodes.
  • 05:40 - Did he get to collaborate with any of the other directors?
  • 06:41 - The importance of steering clear of green screen when possible.
  • 07:03 - The biggest difference between directing a pilot and a feature film.
  • 09:48 - What he's working on next - Death Note and The Woods.
outcast-patrick-fugit
Image via Cinemax

robert-kirkman-outcast-comic-image