The 100's Jason Rothenberg Dishes On The Prequel's Backdoor Pilot

The 100‘s potential prequel series’ backdoor pilot episode is airing tomorrow (July 8)!

Showrunner Jason Rothenberg recently opened up about the episode.

“The original show was always about seeing how far people would go to survive,” he told TV Line. “It was a story of tribalism and showing what people would do to protect the ones they love. In this new show, Callie’s mission statement is: I don’t care who they are, I’m going to save them. She’s a protagonist for our time.”

“There were a bunch of people who were interesting, but there was no one I had fallen in love with,” Jason said about Iola Evans, who plays Callie. “On a flight back home from New York in December, which was getting pretty close to when we had to shoot the episode, I watched her self-tape audition and it was instant. She’s just so talented, and she has no idea how good she is yet, so it was awesome getting to be on set with her [and director Ed Fraiman] and really help her find that performance. I adore her, and whether or not this series gets picked up, that girl is going places.”

Jason also dished about the relationship between Callie and her brother Reese (played by Adain Bradley), and how it’s different than Bellamy and Octavia.

“Bellamy was essentially a surrogate parent to Octavia from the time she was born,” he said. “That relationship started out strong, but it went through some ups and downs and peaks and valleys once the show started. There’s a bit of a Cain and Abel story [with Callie and Reese]. She’s the free-spirited leader traveling her own path, while her brother always craves their father’s approval. Because he never gets it, and Callie does, it creates a bit of a sibling rivalry that becomes very intense.”

Be sure to tune in for the The 100 prequel series’ backdoor pilot TOMORROW (July 8) at 8/7c on The CW!

If you missed it, see what Jason said about how the prequel affects the final season of The 100.