Life is supposed to play out in linear order. After all, we can’t have a future without a past and a present. Audrey Niffenegger’s sci-fi romance novel, The Time Traveler’s Wife, upended that notion by presenting a love story that was completely out of order. Thanks to time travel, Clare Abshire met her future husband, Henry DeTamble, years before he met her in his present. In some ways, that gave the couple an advantage. They knew they were meant to be together. But it also meant that their time was limited.
HBO has released the first trailer from The Time Traveler’s Wife, a new show based upon the novel. Game of Thrones and The Good Fight actress Rose Leslie is headlining the series as Clare, a role previously played by Rachel McAdams in the 2009 feature film adaptation. Divergent and Underworld veteran Theo James steps into the role of Henry, who was previously portrayed in the movie by Eric Bana. In the footage, we see Henry’s first meeting with Clare, at least from his perspective. And we also see a glimpse at the end of his story.
Henry’s time travel powers are presented as a curse, rather than a blessing. Henry can’t control when he comes or goes, and every time travel trip leaves him naked and unprotected. The trailer goes over some of the tactics that Henry has adopted to survive. It also offers a peek at Henry’s young incarnations, as played by Brian Altemus and Jason David. Caitlin Shorey and Everleigh McDonell will also star in the series as younger versions of Clare.
The cast also includes Desmin Borges as Gomez, Natasha Lopez as Charisse, Michael Park as Philip Abshire, Jaime Ray Newman as Lucille Abshire, Taylor Richardson as Alicia Abshire, Peter Graham as Mark Abshire, Kate Siegel as Annette DeTamble, Josh Stamberg as Richard DeTamble, Chelsea Frei as Ingrid, Marcia DeBonis as Nell, Will Brill as Ben, and Spencer House as Jason.
Former Doctor Who and Sherlock showrunner Stephen Moffat is executive producing and writing The Time Traveler’s Wife. It will premiere on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, May 15.
