The COVID-19 pandemic is still affecting everyone’s lives at the moment. That may be why the first look at HBO Max‘s miniseries Station Eleven is so affecting. This adaptation of Emily St. John Mandel’s postapocalyptic novel shows us a world where humanity has been devastated by a flu pandemic. At times, it looks all too familiar to events that we’ve lived through, except to an even greater extent.
HBO Max has debuted the first trailer for Station Eleven, which features a few evocative scenes from the story. There is despair, and there is evil. And yet the trailer also strikes a more hopeful tone as the survivors form connections and attempt to rebuild their lives. As one survivor admits, “this strange and awful time was the happiest of my life.”
The trailer doesn’t make it clear, but there are multiple time periods in this story. That’s why Matilda Lawler plays Kirsten as a child when the Georgia Flu strikes the world, and Mackenzie Davis (Halt and Catch Fire, Terminator: Dark Fate) portrays Kirsten decades later. Kirsten saw her world fall apart before her eyes, and now she’s among the survivors attempting to build something new. Gael García Bernal (Mozart in the Jungle) also appears as Arthur, an actor that Kirsten idolizes, and she feels the impact of his life years after she knew him.
Himesh Patel (Tenet, Yesterday) co-stars as Jeevan, another major character who shows up in Kirsten and Arthur’s lives at different points. And Jeevan himself takes on different roles, including a reporter, an EMT, and even a source of emotional comfort for Kirsten during one of the worst nights in her life. Unfortunately, not everyone is benevolent in the new world. The Prophet (Daniel Zovatto) has created a cult of personality around himself, and he represents a very obvious threat to Kirsten and her friends.
David Wilmot also stars in the miniseries as Clark, alongside Nabhaan Rizwan as Frank Chaudhary, Philippine Velge as Alexandra, and Lori Petty as The Conductor. Danielle Deadwyler, Caitlin FitzGerald, Andy McQueen, David Cross, Enrico Colantoni, Julian Obradors, Deborah Cox, and Luca Villacis will also appear in the miniseries.
Station Eleven was written by Patrick Somerville and directed by Hiro Murai. It will debut on HBO Max on December 16.
