We knew Netflix’s new series Maniac wasn’t going to be a sequel to Superbad, but after watching its first trailer, we wonder if it might be a prequel. As we see here, Jonah Hill and Emma Stone‘s experiences at bizarre mental institution will send them on numerous journeys through multiples realities. And they’ll be sent on all of them by Justin Theroux‘s very creepy mad scientist, whether he wants them going or not.
The new limited mini-series from by True Detective season one director Cary Fukunaga, stars Stone (Annie Landsberg) and Hill (Owen Milgrim) as “two strangers drawn to the late stages of a mysterious pharmaceutical trial” run by a very unsettling Theroux who believes “the mind can be solved.” However, his attempts at fixing them do not go according to plan, and the pair ends up experiencing “multi-reality brain magic s***” that sees them continuously ending up in their delusions together. Those include lives as a pair of stylish ’50s party-goers, possible gangsters/assassins, a married blue collar family, and denizens of Middle-earth.
Netflix describes the show as a dark comedy, and while this first trailer definitely has some very humorous images and premises, its overall feeling is far more like that of a psychological thriller or drama. Although it would definitely be funny if the show did end up being a prequel to Superbad.
Maniac, which also stars Sally Field, comes to Netflix on September 21st. Or does it? (No it does.)
What do you think of this first trailer? What does it remind you of? Tell us in the comments below.
Images: Netflix
