The 2013 movie Snowpiercer is one of the most distinctive and best reviewed sci-fi films of the past decade. It was based on Jacques Lob and Jean-Marc Rochette’s 1982 graphic novel Le Transperceneige, and featured an all-star cast that included Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, Octavia Spencer and John Hurt, plus the renowned South Korean star Song Kang Ho. It was directed by the brilliant Korean filmmaker Joon-Ho Bong, and was a big worldwide critical and commercial success. So it wasn’t a huge surprise when a US TV version was announced in 2015.
However, the path to the small screen hasn’t been smooth. By the time the series premieres on TBS, it will have been five years since it was first announced. In that time the show has shed both its high-profile showrunner and main director, both of whom left over differences with the network about the direction of the series. Although the movie had its own distribution problems in the US, the film and graphic novel were the uncompromised visions of acclaimed artists, leading to some concern about whether the TV version could live up what has come before.
Nevertheless, there’s plenty to be excited about. The footage we’ve seen so far has looked spectacular, the cast is impressive, and the show’s dystopian premise remains an incredibly strong one. So fingers crossed that the show delivers what sci-fi fans are after–and what made the movie such a success–a dark, exciting, intelligent sci-fi story that works as both a powerful character drama and spectacular action movie. So here’s everything we know so far about Snowpiercer.
