One of the most disturbing and engrossing movies of the 2010s, Bong Joon Ho’s Snowpiercer is finding new life as a TV series on TNT.
Back in 2016, TNT ordered a pilot episode based on Joon Ho's film (itself based on Jacques Lobabout's Le Transperceneige) about a constantly moving train holding humanity's last survivors in a frozen apocalypse. Now, as reported by Variety and numerous other outlets, TNT has officially green-lit the project to series.
While we'll have to wait and see how many episodes the series will receive in its first season, TNT's executive vice president of original programming, Sarah Aubrey, had this to say about the new addition to the network's slate:
“I’m a personal fan of Bong Joon Ho’s epic film, and jumped at the chance to honor his original vision, yet expand upon the world and characters with a diverse, award-winning cast. Science fiction is the perfect genre to examine issues of race, class, gender and natural resources with thought-provoking and exciting storytelling. Snowpiercer will explore those relevant issues while embarking on a wild, action-filled ride.”
Directed by Scott Derrickson (Doctor Strange) from a script by Josh Friedman, the Snowpiercer pilot episode stars Jennifer Connelly, Daveed Diggs, Mickey Sumner, Susan Park, Benjamin Haigh, Sasha Frolova, Katie McGuinness, Alison Wright, Annalise Basso, Sam Otto, Roberto Urbina, Sheila Vand, and Lena Hall. In addition to directing, Derrickson also executive produces along with Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements and Bong Joon Ho, Park Chan-wook, Lee Tae-hun and Dooho Choi (the lattermost three having also produced the 2013 film).
As per the previous press release, here's the synopsis for the Snowpiercer TV series:
"Snowpiercer is a futuristic thriller set seven years after the world has become a frozen wasteland, and the remnants of humanity inhabit a gigantic, perpetually moving train that circles the globe. Class warfare, social injustice and the politics of survival are questioned in this riveting television adaptation.
Diggs will star as Layton Well, a prisoner barely surviving the harsh conditions in the tail end of the train. A quiet thinker who spends his days sniffing the industrial-waste-turned-drug Chronole and tending to his cage full of rats, Layton becomes a reluctant participant in a struggle that could upend life on the train.
Connelly will play Melanie Cavill, a First Class passenger who works as the Voice of the Train - responsible for making the daily announcements over its PA system. Though many in her VIP position are dismissive of the lower class passengers, Melanie is curiously fascinated by them."
We'll keep Daily Dead readers updated on the Snowpiercer TV series as more details are revealed. In the meantime, you can listen to the Daily Dead team discuss Snowpiercer on the "Snowed-In Horror Films" episode of our Corpse Club podcast, and we have the trailer for the movie as well:
Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.
When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.
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