MGM+ will treat viewers to an epic tale of human resilience when the television adaptation of Earth Abides premieres on December 1. Based on George R. Stewart‘s sci-fi book of the same name, the series follows the last remnants of the human race per the show’s official logline below. After a virus breaks out and civilization grinds to a halt, those unlucky enough try to fight the fate many species before us have faced: extinction. MGM+ released the trailer that finds a man trying to survive alone before forming a connection that tests his desire to live and what he’s willing to do.
“When a plague of unprecedented virulence sweeps the globe, the human race is all but wiped out. In the aftermath, as the great machine of civilization slowly and inexorably breaks down, only a few shattered survivors remain to struggle against the slide into extinction.”
‘Earth Abides’ Trailer Teases an Expansive Narrative About Survival
When the trailer above begins, a man, Ish, is bitten by a snake, and despite all signs pointing to his demise, he survives. Ish wakes up a while later to a quiet world nothing like the one he’d left. The streets are empty, and his past life doesn’t exist. Everyone he knew is dead, along with so many of those he didn’t know. Ridden with despair, he roams the earth without purpose before he runs into another survivor. An unlikely relationship begins with a man and woman; soon, two become three.
Their child promises a bright future, but the world is still a dangerous place in more ways than one. Ish rebuilds his life with his family, but the world is not as empty as they thought, and soon, new people arrive. Ish’s instincts are to protect what’s his, but Emma has a different outlook. “Hope is the only way we win in the end,” Ish realizes. Series executive producer, writer, and showrunner Todd Kormanicki talked about adapting the show in the current times, saying:
“It has been an absolute thrill to adapt George Stewart’s sci-fi classic. And an even greater honor to deliver a show that is custom-built for our moment in history. Because amidst all the wild adventure and story twists and turns, Earth Abides provides proof that the one way forward for humanity is…love.”
The show’s cast includes Alexander Ludwig as Ish Williams, Jessica Frances Dukes as Emma, Aaron Tveit as Charlie, Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll as Jorge, Elyse Levesque as Maurine, Luisa D’Oliveira as Molly, Birkett Turton as Ezra, Hilary McCormack as Jean, and Jenna Berman as Evie.
The six-episode series premieres on December 1 at 9 PM ET on MGM+. Watch the trailer above.
via Collider