'Heroes Reborn' Showrunner Tim Kring Confirms That A Major Character Is Dead In The New Miniseries

J.E. Reich, Tech Times 15 August 2015, 09:08 am

It looks like the motto "Save the cheerleader, save the world" will soon be replaced with another one: "The cheerleader is dead, long live the cheerleader."

Show creator and showrunner Tim Kring confirmed at a panel at the 2015 Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour that Claire Bennet, played by Hayden Panettiere in the original Heroes, is dead at the onset of the miniseries NBC sequel Heroes Reborn.

While it's currently unknown how Claire met her demise, set a year before the beginning of when the miniseries picks up, Tim Kring pointed out how it was originally intended that the cast would be cycled – that is to say, each season would focus on a cast of new characters, instead of continuing on with the old ones:

"This is closer to the original idea of origin stories. The primal existential questions of why and what's my purpose? I always thought of it as a show that could repopulate itself. Falling in love with new characters is just as important as returning cast."

There will, however, be some familiar faces this season, if only for a few scant guest appearances. Among them are Greg Grunberg, who will be reprising his role as the telepathic Matt Parker, Sendhil Ramamurthy as genetics professor Mohinder Suresh, who develops Spider-man-like powers, and Masi Oka as Hiro Nakamura, a time-space manipulator with a penchant for wielding a sword.

Jack Coleman, who played Claire's father Noah Bennet, an ex-agent for The Company, one of the main antagonistic forces in the first iteration of the series, will be one of the miniseries' mainstays.

Newcomers include Freema Agyeman (Sense8, Doctor Who), Zachary Levi (Chuck), Kiki Sukezane (The Port of San Pedro), Robbie Kay (Once Upon a Time) and Rya Kihlstedt (Dexter, Nashville).

Here is a general synopsis of the 13-episode miniseries, according to the official website:

"A year ago, a terrorist attack in Odessa, Texas left the city decimated. Blamed for the tragic event, those with extraordinary abilities are in hiding or on the run from those with nefarious motives."

Check out the official NBC trailer for Heroes Reborn below.