‘The Alienist’ Trailer: Luke Evans, Daniel Brühl And Dakota Fanning Go Looking For A Killer
The director ofTrue Detectiveseason one andBeasts of No Nation,Cary Fukunaga, was originally going to executive produce and directThe Alienist. After some delay, Fukunaga dropped out directing the TNT miniseries based onCaleb Carr’s novel. He did, however, remain involved as an executive producer in the drama, which starsDakota Fanning,Luke Evans(High-Rise), andDaniel Brühl(Rush).
Below, watchThe Alienisttrailer.
Jakob Verbruggen, who directed theBlack Mirrorepisode “Men Against Fire,” ended up helming episodes ofThe Alienistinstead of Fukunaga. ScreenwriterEric Roth(The Insider) is an executive producer on the series written byHossein Amini, who wroteDriveand directed the pretty good adaptation ofThe Two Faces in January.
Some great talent are involved in the series about the search for a serial killer in 1896 New York City. A criminal psychologist/alienist, Laszlo Kreizler (Brühl), a newspaper illustrator John Moore (Evans), and a secretary at the Police Headquarters, Sara Howard (Fanning), investigate who’s behind the ghastly murders of young boy prostitutes.
Here’s the trailer forThe Alienist, which is 10 episodes long:
The Alienistis the kind of pitch dark and grisly material theTrue Detectivedirector probably could’ve worked his magic with. Even without Fukanaga behind the camera, the TNT series looks like another compelling murder mystery dealing with obsession. It definitely doesn’t come across as a stuffy period in the trailer. The three leads are a draw as well. Evans, in particular, has been doing especially good work lately, withBeauty and the Beastand his surprising and disturbing turn inHigh-Rise
As for Fukunaga, the director and all involved couldn’t agree on a budget forThe Alienist. Once a figure was decided, it took long enough for the TNT project to clash with the director’s other commitments. He left the series to focus on making another film,The Black Count, and Netflix’sManiac.
Here’s the official synopsis forThe Alienist:
The Alienist is an upcoming American drama television series based on the novel of same name by Caleb Carr. The psychological thriller drama is set in 1896, when a series of gruesome murders of boy prostitutes has gripped the city. Newly appointed top cop Teddy Roosevelt calls upon Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, a criminal psychologist — aka alienist — and newspaper illustrator John Moore to conduct the investigation in secret. Joining them in the probe is Sara Howard, a headstrong secretary at Police Headquarters.
