Manifest is the perfect example of a waste of a good concept and coming from Robert Zemeckis as an executive producer, it’s even more disappointing. I can’t say I’m surprised, there’s literally no buzz for this pilot since it’s been ordered and the cast they assembled is very weak. I mean no disrespect but when you choose Josh Dallas as your leading man, it means you have a problem somewhere. Even worse: he’s the most famous one here! “Network + High-concept” is probably seen as a recipee for disaster by actors and their agents nowadays and for good reasons. So when your script is not even convincing, you can’t expect much. My theory is simple: Warner Bros. made a strong pitch for Manifest, every network wanted it, NBC won it for a large chunk of money and had to go with a put pilot commitment, and then they had no choice but to order it no matter what. They probably regret it… But hey, maybe I’m totally wrong. Maybe they love it and will give it the best slot they have next year! Who knows at this point?
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