STEVE NILES' REMAINS: EVALENA MARIE

For Evalena Marie, being part of the cast of Steve Niles' Remains movie -- based on the IDW Publishing title and premiering on Chiller on Friday at 10 p.m. -- provided an extra kick.

"Comic books have always been an indulgence for me, and comic book heroes have always been a huge influence in my life," Marie told The Continuum. "I always played Green Lantern or Superman or Batman or Spider-Man when I was growing up, so it was a dream come true that I would get to play a comic-book character in a film! One of my friends I met on my first movie set is a huge David Mack fan and he really turned me onto his work, bringing comic books back into my life in a huge way as an adult."

Marie plays Tori, one of the survivors of the event in Reno, Nev., that creates the zombies she contends with throughout the movie.

"The very first thing I did after I submitted for the role in the movie was read the Remains graphic novels so I could get to meet Tori," she said. "It actually wasn't until several weeks later that I got a call from the movie for an audition and was provided with the script. So Tori in comic form was the first Tori I knew.

"Although my first experience of Tori was from Steve Niles' comics, the Tori I brought to the screen was definitely a result of those amazing graphic novels combined with an incredible screenplay and insightful direction from Colin Theys. Writer John Doolan did an inspiring job on the adaptation of the screenplay, and really stayed true to the original Tori I got to know in the comic book while also translating Tori's trail of 'vulnerable breadcrumbs' for the screen.

"It was these revealing moments for Tori that I really adhered to as an actor, these breadcrumbs that allowed me to expose a broken and damaged side of Tori. Sure, she's a badass bitch you don't want to cross, but she's come to be that way through a history of getting hurt and learning to 'love and leave' before she gets 'loved and left.' So the Tori you'll see on the screen is a collaborative result from Steve Niles, Colin Theys, John Doolan and myself. The most rewarding way to work as an actor!"

Marie told The Continuum about her experience filming Remains.

"Shooting a comic book movie was just as much of a blast as I dreamed it would be," she said. "Everyone on set was ecstatic to be there and it came through in their work. I really took to Adrien Correia (the DP) immediately because he was joshing me relentlessly and that's the fastest way to my heart, and I was instantly enamored with Ben Chester's work (the SFX wizard). I would peak inside Ben's lair and awe at all the wonders of his skill. He had quite the endless spread of dead things in various stages of decay."

What's next for Marie?

"A comic book movie is going to be a tough act to follow, but I'm really excited for upcoming projects," she said. "Meeting Steve Niles was such a huge deal for me. He really inspired and motivated me to get back into my writing! So I've been prioritizing writing time the last few months, and have several screenplays I look forward to producing in the coming year. My film debut as a writer and co-director is currently in post production, and has an expected release of 2012. It's a psychological suspense/thriller called Among Them, I'm really excited!

"While writing my own screenplays, I am also currently reading other scripts and considering my next role. Looking forward to more roles of Tori's caliber."