A new series is set to arrive this summer for TNT is Snowpiercer, an adaptation from the 2013 film from Bong Joon-Ho (Parasite) of the same name. Premiering May 17, the dystopian summer drama will consist of ten hour-long episodes. This program will follow the same premise as the film with Earth freezing over and the remaining survivors have taken refuge in a train that rides continuously on a global track. Set in 2021, the series centers on the train and its passengers seven years after the apocalypse with three distinct social classes and stowaways on board. Like in the film, the TNT drama sets the stowaways, aptly nicknamed “Tailies” due to their status at the tail of the train, as the protagonists with former homicide detective Layton Well, portrayed by Daveed Diggs (Hamilton), being called up to third class to investigate a murder on the train. Developed for television by Josh Friedman (War of the Worlds, Avatar 2), the series has already been renewed for a second season prior to its season premiere.
Snowpiercer’s main cast in addition to Diggs includes the likes of Academy Award winner in Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind) who portrays the voice of the train Melanie Cavill, Mickey Sumner (Low Winter Sun) as security guard Bess Till, and Annalise Basso (Bedtime Stories) as first-class passenger LJ Anderson. The extensive cast also includes Sasha Frolova (Little Women), Alison Wright (The Americans), Roberto Urbina (Narcos), Susan Park (Fargo), Lena Hall (Girls), Sheila Vand (Argo), Iddo Goldberg (Peaky Blinders), and Steven Ogg (The Walking Dead, Grand Theft Auto V). Additionally, Sean Bean has also been announced as an addition to the show’s cast for its second season.
Spoilers Ahead:
One of the main differences between the series and film is the existence of the train conductor and founder in Wilford. Portrayed by Ed Harris (Westworld) in the film, the dystopian drama navigates around the full reveal of this mysterious character throughout the first few episodes. The series grounds itself with leadership through Connelly’s character Melanie who produces the daily PA messages on the train and acts as a liaison between the perceived Wilford character and the train’s passengers. However, as the series progresses, it is slowly revealed that Melanie is, in fact, the creator of the train and created the idea of Wilford as the figurehead of the train in order to allow for her to engage in face-to-face interaction with the rest of the train.
Snowpiercer is set to debut its first season on May 17 at 9 PM EST on TNT. Fans of the film and interested television fanatics can check out its first season trailer below: