On May 14, 2007, NBC announced that it would air a six-episode "Heroes" spin-off called "Heroes: Origins" during the 2007–08 season. The show was to introduce a new character each week, and viewers were to select which one would stay for the following season of the regular series. The show was supposed to air after the completion of the second season of "Heroes" in April 2008; however, on October 31, 2007, it was reported that "Origins" had been postponed because of the Writers Guild of America strike. Kring stated in an interview that the first episode of "Origins" was to reveal the secrets and meanings behind the Helix symbol. However, because of the WGA Strike, Kring commented that the secret will have to be revealed down the line. Kring revealed that he was to write the first episode of "Origins", and that John August had been hired to write another episode. Director Kevin Smith, a fan of "Heroes", was set to write and direct an episode for the spin-off, as were Eli Roth and Michael Dougherty. On April 3, 2008, a day after NBC announced its 2008–2009 primetime schedule, Ben Silverman confirmed "Origins"s cancellation.