America's Most Wanted host Elizabeth Vargas warns suspects: 'We're coming for you'
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
FOX
Elizabeth Vargas is ushering in a new era of America's Most Wanted and they're locked and loaded with the latest technology in their quest to bring justice to victim's loved ones.
"We are coming for you, you can't run forever," Vargas tells EW exclusively of what her warning would be to those running from the law. "Somebody somewhere has seen you, and we hope they'll be watching our show on Monday nights."
The first look featurette of the Fox revival (below), premiering March 15, reveals the life-like avatars that will render a more accurate depiction of suspects who are being sought out by law enforcement. A far more advanced version of the facial composites used in the past.
"They're so wild," the veteran journalist exclaims when asked about the avatars. "I'm standing next to a 3D avatar of what we think a suspect might look like today. Using age-progression technology, which the FBI and law enforcement use, in combination with doctors and medical experts on how the human body ages. For example, we may stop growing but our nose and ears don't. They're able to show tattoos or deformities, too, in a very lifelike way with these avatars."
But that's not the only trick producers have up their sleeves. Vargas says they'll also use "augmented reality in interactive ways" that will take viewers on a "walk through of crime scenes while pointing out evidence that could be crucial to viewer identification."
She says emphatically, "The fugitives, they didn't move to the moon. They're someplace. We're working with the F.B.I., the U.S. Marshalls, and Interpol, so we are able to show places these suspects have been on an international scale. They're interacting with someone, they've no doubt been seen. That's what we're hoping to tap into."
Everett Collection
Vargas speaks fondly of her interactions with John Walsh, who launched the original series on the same network in 1988, throughout the years and understands how much fans would love to see him come back because she would too.
"I haven't spoken to him yet because he has a lot going on but I know he's spoken to our producers," she shares. "He's thrilled we're bringing the show back. We would love to have him back. He can come back for a guest appearance whenever he wants. He's so tied to the legacy of this show and did such a wonderful job hosting for many years. We're still hoping for that. My producers have already spoken to him about it several times."
Walsh may not have a firm commitment to stop by yet but a case he was working on during his tenure will be revisited.
"One of the stories we're doing is one he featured that didn't result in any tips. We're redoing it with some updates in the hope that we can generate tips this time around," she explains. "We have a variety of cases and they're not all violent crimes. Some are scams and fraud, there's a case of child abduction, and of course, some are from the F.B.I.'s 10 most wanted list, and others are from a little lower on the list. It's really a variety of cases because we wanted to cast a wide net."
She adds, "This show needs to come back to help catch these fugitives and to bring justice to the victims. The victims and their loved ones are frozen in time in their grief, waiting for a resolution. Just to know that the person who harmed your loved one has been caught, it's important that we do this for them."
Related content:
