Where did this come from? Amazon has dropped a trailer for its upcoming science fiction drama series ‘Tales from the Loop’, based on the work of Swedish artist Simon Stålenhag. As the clip announces, the series drops on April 3, but there has been very little hoopla until now, which is especially odd considering some of the talent behind it.
‘Tales from the Loop’ was created by writer Nathaniel Halpern (‘Legion’) and directed by visionary music video creator, Mark Romanek. The show was produced by Matt Reeves’ 6th & Idaho, and Swedish production and management company Indio. Fox 21 Television Studios and Amazon Studios are co-producing.
Stålenhag’s art was collected in the book ‘Tales from the Loop’, but that is an art book (with some writing), not a storybook, so it remains to be seen how the show’s creators will interpret his images which largely depict average-looking Swedish suburbs, accented with sci-fi elements, like massive towers, and lumbering machines. The TV show transports the setting to the United States.
“The Loop” is a massive machine, buried underground, which is exploring the mysteries of the universe. This unlocks miraculous innovations in the outside world beyond imagination. But even with all of that wonderment, the TV series will explore “poignant human tales are told that bare universal emotional experiences while drawing on the intrigue of genre storytelling.” (via Deadline)
Rebecca Hall (‘Godzilla Vs Kong’) heads up the cast as Loretta, a physicist. Recent Oscar nominee Jonathan Pryce (‘The Two Popes’) plays Russ, the founder, and leader of the Loop project, and Paul Schneider (‘Chance’) plays his son, George.
‘Tales from the Loop’ also features a large cast of children, which has earned comparisons to Netflix’s ‘Stranger Things‘, but I think that’s premature and superficial. This looks a lot more serious, and while it may have a retro vibe, I don’t think the characters will be belting out “The Never-Ending Story” at any point.
Watch for yourself below:
Stålenhag began sharing his art online in 2013, and ‘Tales from the Loop’ was published in 2017, so this is a rather swift transition to a broad audience. In 2017, a ‘Tales from the Loop’ roleplaying game was released.
If you are intrigued by this trailer, ‘Tales from the Loop’ arrives on Amazon Prime Video on April 3, 2020. Before that, it will screen at SXSW on March 16.
Source: Polygon
