Get ready for a long ride. The first trailer is here for TBS’ long-awaited Snowpiercer television series, a post-apocalyptic saga about a giant train with the last remanents of humanity that’s forced to constantly encircle the globe. Jennifer Connelly (Alita: Battle Angel) finds herself wrapped up in a conspiracy that threatens the train’s social structure, and quite possibly humanity itself.
The trailer is sterile, menacing and cold, recapping the premise that will be familiar to anyone who has any experience with the material it’s derived from. A massive train, housing a cloistered band of human survivors, stratified into the haves and have-nots. But revolution is brewing, and the revolutionaries are ready to go to war for control of train that holds the future of the human race.
Snowpiercer is a soft reboot of the graphic novel Le Transperceneige.
It takes place seven years after an environmental crisis resulted in a new Ice Age. The last remnants of humanity live on a perpetually moving train that constantly travels the globe. The train operates on a caste system, with the back of the train struggling to serve the demands of those in First Class.
The series has been in the works since 2015, but has faced a series of delays as a result of ongoing issues in the development process. It was originally set to be helmed by Josh Friedman (War of the Worlds), with Doctor Strange’s Scott Derrickson directing the pilot.
But Orphan Black’s Graeme Manson ended up taking over the project in February 2018 — prompting Friedman to speak out against TNT’s behaviour, claiming he was pushed out. Derrickson refused to return for reshoots, citing solidarity with Friedman. Now, the series has been moved to TBS for a minimum of two seasons.
Connelly is joined by Daveed Diggs, Alison Wright, Lena Hall, Mickey Sumner, and Steven Ogg. Snowpiercer is set to premiere on TBS in the U.S. with no word yet on an Australian release.