In a world where movies are being delayed up to an entire year, it’s refreshing to get some news that we’ll be getting something earlier than expected. TNT’s Snowpiercer, which is based on a French comic that was also adapted into a Bong Joon-ho film in 2013, has moved forward two weeks, changing its premiere date from May 31 to May 17.
The concept behind Snowpiercer is a classic bit of science fiction. The world has frozen over and the only surviving humans live in a perpetually moving train with 1,001 cars that circles the globe. The setup provides for a microcosm of society as class warfare, politics, and other societal issues play out in the confined space. Like all the best science fiction, it takes a big concept and uses it to address humanity on the whole. That’s probably what attracted Bong Joon-ho to the story and why TNT picked it up to adapt again so close to Bong’s film.
TNT didn’t give an exact reason for the series being moved forward, but Brett Weitz, general manager for TNT, TBS, and truTV, said that they were trying to meet audiences where they are. That, of course, means in their homes for the foreseeable future as most of the world continues its quarantine. With advertisers fleeing from every platform, TNT is probably also looking for a way to entice them back with a (hopefully) hit show.
Snowpiercer has a stellar cast with Tony-winner Daveed Diggs, Oscar-winner Jennifer Connelly, Emmy-nominee Alison Wright, Mickey Sumner, and Tony Award-winner and Grammy-nominee Lena Hall all starring.
