SXSW: The CW Holds World Premiere for New DC Comics-Based TV Series IZombie

The CW's new science fiction-supernatural police procedural drama series iZombie, which was loosely adapted from the DC Comics Vertigo series of the same name, premiered Monday, March 16, at the South by Southwest Music, Film + Interactive Festival (SXSW) at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas. The cast along with writer Diane Ruggiero, producer Dan Etheridge, and director Rob Thomas were there during the panel discussions to meet and answer questions from press and the fans.

The iZombie series centers on Olivia "Liv" Moore, described as a rosy-cheeked, disciplined, over-achieving medical resident who had her life path completely mapped out, until the night she attended a party that unexpectedly turned into a zombie feeding frenzy. She survived the attack but she finds out she had become part zombie. To survive, she works at a coroner's office which give her access to the brains she must eat for her sustenance. A side effect of her new diet is that she also absorbs the memories of the deceased, which helps her solve their own homicides.

Leading the cast is Rose McIver, 25, best remembered as Tinker Bell in Once Upon A Time, who plays the undead Liv, the central character and main protagonist in iZombie. She is joined by Robert Buckley as Liv's ex-fiancé Major Lilywhite; Malcolm Goodwin as police detective Clive Babinaux who knows her secret and often asks for her help to solve crimes; Rahul Kohli as medical examiner Dr. Ravi Chakrabarti who also knows her secret and assists her whenever he can to protect as well as study her; and David Andeers as Blaine DeBeers, a rich kid who also turned into a zombie like Liv following the attack at the party.

On how and why they came up with the show, writer and executive producer Ruggiero-Wright told Variety: "I was so into zombies before. I was never really on the vampire train. I was just on the zombie train myself so let's hope that they're the new vampire for us and that we have the longevity of 'The Vampire Diaries' and the popularity of 'Twilight.'" Ruggiero-Wright and fellow iZombie co-creator and co-executive producer were also the duo responsible for the teen favorite series Veronica Mars series.

Ruggiero-Wright adds: "Some of the references [in iZombie] might be a little bit older because the two people [she and Thomas] who created it aren't the youngest people in the world, and we also can't make the jokes that we made on 'Veronica Mars' 10 years later. And the characters are a bit older - [Liv] was previously engaged, she's a doctor. It's definitely a bit older for the network. We just try to write the best show possible. I'm hoping we'll have those fans who enjoy that supernatural element to their television. We're conscious that it's The CW audience and we want to give them what they want, but I don't think we're looking for anyone in particular. We're not really writing toward the seven-year old, but if they happen to stumble upon it, feel free to watch!"