5 Things to Know About 'The Man in the High Castle'

American history gets a radical makeover in The Man in the High Castle, the ambitious new sci-fi drama now streaming on Amazon. Adapted from the 1962 novel by celebrated author Philip K. Dick, the series takes place in an alternate past where the Axis powers — and not the Allies — emerged victorious from World War II. In this brave new world, America is a forcibly divided nation: Germany controls the East Coast and swaths of the Midwest, while Imperial Japan holds sway over the Pacific region. The only “free” territory exists in the vicinity of the Rocky Mountains, and that’s where the titular “Man in the High Castle” supposedly resides, producing secret film reels that depict a reality closer to our own. Speaking with Yahoo TV, executive producer Frank Spotnitz declined to reveal the identity of this castle-dwelling soothsayer. But he did share with us five other details you’ll want to know before binge-watching all 10 episodes of The Man in the High Castle.

It’s Not Quite the Book
Philip K. Dick’s work has served as the basis for some of the most influential sci-fi movies of all time, from Blade Runner to Minority Report. But the version of the story that ends up onscreen very rarely resembles the one he told on the page. Even though The Man in the High Castle strives to be one of the more faithful Dick adaptations, Spotnitz acknowledges that the series was required to take some significant departures. “The book doesn’t really have a TV narrative,” he explains. “So what I tried to do was expand the narrative frame of the novel and add characters I thought were consistent with what happened in the book. I was very mindful of the serious ideas that were important in the book, and how by enlarging the scope, I could better explore his ideas.” The producer had an important resource in determining how best to honor what he calls the “crown jewel” of Dick’s bibliography: the author’s daughter, Isa Dick Hackett. “This is quite personal for her, and she’s rightfully determined that this show is as good as it can be. We’ve argued with each other a lot more than we’ve agreed with each other, but in a lot of those arguments, I’ve learned something that has been incredibly constructive.”

The Times They Have A-Changed
In the pilot episode of Man in the High Castle, characters are glimpsed watching a cheesy ‘60s game show that looks pretty much like a cheesy ‘60s game show from our reality. Except for one key difference: the clean-cut contestant is sporting a Nazi uniform. “That was the very first thing we shot,” Spotnitz says. “And the scene perfectly distills the show: that guy is so all-American, except he’s got a Nazi uniform on. You could see the crew saying, ‘Okay, I get what this show is now.’” And he promises that other warped versions of that era’s popular culture will crop up as the series goes forward. “I’ve shied away from directly dramatizing pop culture figures, because you could really desecrate the memory of people depending on how you depict them in this alternate reality. The first movie marquee you see is advertising a film starring Rock Hudson, and that makes you really think about what we know about him. [Hudson was a Hollywood heartthrob in the ‘50s and ‘60s, but kept his off-screen sexuality in the closet.] It’s plausible that he’d be the kind of star the Nazis would permit to have a career, but we know the terrible secret he’d be hiding that would cost him his life.”

There’s a Lot of (Expensive) Realism in this Alternate Reality
We all know that the Allies won World War II. But after spending a few binge-happy hours living in The Man in the High Castle’s universe, you may not be so sure. “That’s when the show really makes you think,” say Spotnitz. “It’s uncomfortably close to our world, but crucially different. Creating that kind of past is really tricky: you need it to seem like the ‘60s, but not the ‘60s we recognize. There were a thousand decisions we had to make about the clothes and the hairstyles, as well as what the cities looked like.” That kind of scale demands a sizeable budget, and Spotnitz indicates that the series was a big investment. “It is enormously expensive, and an incredibly brave move by Amazon to invest those kinds of resources in a production like this,” he says.

Be Ready for the Bottle Episode
At some point during every ongoing series, the production has to conserve time and resources with a “bottle episode” — an hour-long installment that’s written to accommodate a limited setting and story. Spotnitz points to Castle’s bottle episode, which comes midway through the season, as one of the highlights of the 10-episode run. “A couple of characters are in one house for the entire hour, and we really get into who they are and what it’s like to be in this world,” he says. “It’s the kind of show that gives the opportunity to do all kinds of episodes, and no two seasons are going to be alike.”

The Truth Is Out There
If you wondered why founding X-Files producer Spotnitz, isn’t returning for that show’s January relaunch on Fox, you can credit and/or blame the Man in the High Castle production schedule. Funnily enough, though, he was in close proximity to Mulder and Scully throughout the shoot anyway. “The X-Files was sometimes shooting a block or two away from where we were in Vancouver! It was bittersweet for me that I couldn’t be a part of it, but the silver lining is that I get to watch it as a fan,” he says. “I had dinner with Chris [Carter], but I didn’t ask any questions about what was going to happen. I want to watch it on TV like everyone else.” Even without any advanced information, Spotnitz is confident that this version of The X-Files will satisfy fans in the way that the 2008 film, I Want To Believe, didn’t. “When that movie came out, it wasn’t the right time, and I think it was the wrong story to be telling, to be honest. Now, a whole new generation of fans has come of age, and it’s been wonderful to see all the love directed at the show. It feels like a wonderful celebration.”

The Man in the High Castle is now streaming on Amazon.