Stephen King is extensively considered the “King of Horror,” and with 5 a long time of writing throughout the style, it’s no shock why. Most of his novels happen in Maine and are set in fictional cities comparable to Derry and Fortress Rock. It’s the latter of which that’s arguably his most recognizable, because it has served because the setting for a lot of of his novels, comparable to “Cujo,” and “The Physique”. It has additionally been referenced in a lot of King’s works, comparable to “IT” and “The Shawshank Redemption”. The fictional city is form of a personality in and of itself, one thing that was ultimately expanded upon in 2018 with the premiere of the Castle Rock TV sequence.
Castle Rock takes King’s stories and characters and crops all of them within the eerie little city of Fortress Rock, Maine. They’re not carbon copies or retellings of his work, however relatively they inform their very own story, utilizing King’s worldbuilding as a jumping-off level. The sequence gave us some terrific plots and scares, and delivered some unforgettable appearing performances, the standout of which being Bill Skarsgård. Skarsgård portrayed “The Child” in Season 1 and later returned as “The Angel” for Season 2 as soon as it was introduced the present was an anthology. However although he was round for 2 seasons and was one of many fundamental characters, audiences had been nonetheless left wanting extra. Fortress Rock had a lot potential, particularly because it was cancelled after solely two seasons. But it surely was Skarsgård himself who deserved much better.
Season 1 of ‘Fortress Rock’ Left Audiences on the Fringe of Their Seat
Skarsgård’s character seems out of what appears to be skinny air when he’s discovered locked in a cage at Shawshank Jail, with nobody understanding who he’s or what has occurred to him. He’s known as “The Child,” and his silent nature solely provides to the mystique that accompanies his title. It was clear that he would ultimately serve a larger objective within the sequence and certain be linked to the overarching thriller on the present’s core. He was, after all, however by the top of the season, it nonetheless felt as if his character was relatively ambiguous and unexplained.
Contemplating Castle Rock tied together all of King’s novels into one series, it was a no brainer that one thing supernatural and menacing was effervescent beneath the city’s floor. Skarsgård’s character was the proper alternative to discover that, but the present by no means totally faucets into that potential. Which is a disgrace since Skarsgård had already proved himself as an alluring horror actor when he portrayed Pennywise within the 2017 IT remake. So it was all very thrilling when it was introduced that he could be returning for the present’s second season, albeit, as a totally completely different character.
Associated
The 10 Best Shows to Watch if You Love Stephen King
When you’re a fan of the nice Stephen King, these reveals are inconceivable to cross up!
‘Fortress Rock’ Introduced Invoice Skarsgård Again For Season 2
To this present day, we all know nothing of “The Child” and his backstory. We don’t know the place he actually got here from, who he’s, or if any of the issues he did in Season 1 have any info to them. It left the show with an air of mystery to it. It was additionally extraordinarily irritating, contemplating the present introduced itself as an anthology, which means we’d by no means get any stable solutions about his character. The information of Fortress Rock being an anthology allowed the present to delve deeper into the mythos King constructed all through his profession with out rising stale by being caught to at least one overarching storyline and group of characters. Due to this modification in format, there was additionally a shift of focus onto new characters, and those that had been vital in Season 1 got a backseat. All however one, that’s. Skarsgård was introduced again for Season 2 in a twist that caught audiences off guard. Not was he portraying “The Child,” he was now “The Angel,” and he was plopped into an entire new world throughout the city of Fortress Rock.
The place Season 1 adopted the thriller of “The Child” and his unexplained presence throughout the bowels of Shawshank Jail, Season 2 shifted focus to comply with the early lifetime of one in every of King’s most well-known characters: Annie Wilkes from “Misery”. Skarsgård is introduced again as a brand new character for this season, one deemed merely “The Angel.” Although it was by no means straight confirmed that he and “The Child” had been the identical particular person, the casting alternative definitely opened up the opportunity of it being true. It additionally confirmed that this new character was a devil-like determine, which, if the characters are in truth linked, answered so much about “The Child” and poked holes within the story he instructed in Season 1.
Invoice Skarsgård’s Presence Opened Up the Mythology of ‘Fortress Rock’
“The Angel” character shattered the present’s small city spooky vibes extensive open and as an alternative hinted at way more malevolent forces at play. Any seasoned King fan is aware of that the supernatural is a prominent feature in his work, so this wasn’t a whole shock. Nevertheless, “The Angel” character confirmed the presence of a multiverse, which opened up the world of Fortress Rock to new and unexpected heights. The city of Fortress Rock out of the blue modified from a city the place supernatural ongoings happen to a city that blurs the road between humanity and the supernatural.
Skarsgård’s return to the sequence fleshed out the city’s mythology and in addition positioned his characters because the central determine behind it. It was a captivating concept, and a shocking one at that, contemplating the present had mentioned it could be an anthology come Season 2. All of the sudden, the whole lot was up within the air. Was “The Angel” linked to “The Child” or was he his personal separate id who simply occurred to have the identical actor portraying him? None of this could be answered as a result of the present was cancelled after Season 2, leaving followers on an enormous cliffhanger.
Invoice Skarsgård Deserved Higher in ‘Fortress Rock’
Skarsgård’s portrayal of each “The Child” and “The Angel” not solely turned the sequence into one massive mysterious query mark, however it additionally showcased Skarsgård’s versatility as an actor. Although each of his characters in Fortress Rock shared an analogous eerie high quality, he managed to convey one thing completely different to each roles. It allowed him to flex his expertise as an actor, and he was simply essentially the most intriguing a part of the sequence — which was already fairly spectacular. Cancelling the present after Season 2 not solely damage all that had been constructed up throughout the sequence’ lore, but in addition proved that Skarsgård was severely underutilized.
A 3rd season of Fortress Rock would possible have expanded even additional on “The Child,” “The Angel,” and no matter different character Skarsgård was requested to painting subsequent, however with out it, the characters find yourself feeling empty. We by no means get any concrete solutions as to who the heck these characters are, despite all the effort put in by both the showrunners and Skarsgård himself. There was a lot that might have been finished with the Fortress Rock universe as an entire, and we’ll by no means get to see it attain its full potential, which is a rattling disgrace.
Fortress Rock is on the market to stream on Hulu within the U.S.
