Shows set in alternate histories are all the rage right now, so it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that Apple has its own spin on a “What if?” theme in the works.
Apple delivered the first look at For All Mankind — expected to be the first original series for streaming platform Apple TV Plus — during the opening presentation of its annual Worldwide Developer Conference, held June 3 at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California.
The series is set in an alternate timeline in which the space race never ended, and nations continue to push each other in a competition to journey farther into the galaxy. For All Mankind has an impressive sci-fi pedigree, with award-winning Battlestar Galactica and Star Trek writer Ronald D. Moore on board the project as creator and co-writer, along with Matt Wolpert and Ben Nedivi.
In the preview of the series that debuted during Apple’s WWDC keynote presentation, the show presents a timeline in which the Soviet Union was first to land on the moon, prompting an escalation of the space race far beyond the history we know.
Streaming television networks have found quite a bit of success with exploring alternate timelines in recent years. The Man in the High Castle has earned acclaim for Amazon Studios with its “What if the Nazis won World War II?” premise, while Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale — which unfolds after a second civil war in the U.S. — has been an Emmy and Golden Globe darling for two seasons now.
The cast of For All Mankind includes Suicide Squad actor Joel Kinnaman as Edward Baldwin, Mad Men actor Nick Toren as Tim “Bird Dog” McKiernan, Sarah Jones as Tracy Stevens, Michael Dorman as Gordo Stevens, Olivia Trujillo as Aleida Rosales, Independence Day: Resurgence actor Arturo Del Puerto as Octavio Rosales, Wrenn Schmidt as Margo Madison, Shantel VanSanten as Karen Baldwin, and Yes Man actor Spencer Garrett as Roger Scott. House of Cards actor Chris Agos portrays Apollo 11 pilot Buzz Aldrin in the series.
The series is expected to debut when Apple TV Plus launches in the fall, but there’s been no exact date set for the service to premiere at this point.
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