The serial adaptation of Korean film “Snowpiercer” is moving up its premiere date to mid-May, two weeks ahead of the original schedule.

According to news reports from several US entertainment media outlets Thursday, US cable network TNT has decided to advance the release date of “Snowpiercer” to May 17. The move comes in response to a growing thirst for more content on the small screen by viewers as the COVID-19 outbreak pushes back new releases elsewhere.

“Snowpiercer is one of the most anticipated original series of 2020 and in this climate, viewers are craving thrilling, engaging, edge-of-your-seat content that speaks to them on a deeper level,” the general manager for TNT, TBS and truTV, Brett Weitz, was quoted in a report by Deadline.

Based on the science fiction thriller of the same name by Korean auteur Bong Joon-ho, the show will be set in a time when the world has turned into a frozen wasteland, with the world’s last-remaining inhabitants living aboard a perpetually moving train. The film itself is based on post-apocalyptic French graphic novel “Le Transperceneige,” written by Jacques Lob in 1982.

Upon its release in 2013, the original film had been critically acclaimed for its sharp depiction of class conflict and social injustice inside the train divided by rigid class structures. Featuring Hollywood headliners Chris Evans, Ed Harris and Tilda Swinton -- along with Bong’s local favorite Song Kang-ho -- it was Bong’s English-language debut film.

The TV adaptation of “Snowpiercer” will star Jennifer Connelly, Daveed Diggs and Mickey Sumner.

With the adjusted schedule, “Snowpiercer” would become eligible for this year’s Emmy Awards. According to Emmy rules, which were recently changed owing to the virus pandemic, all series for this year’s awards must have premiered before May 31. The awards ceremony is expected to be held in September.

Meanwhile, with Bong winning big at this year’s Academy Awards for “Parasite,” the director has more TV adaptations of his films upcoming. The second season of “Snowpiercer” is already underway with TNT, while HBO has secured the rights to remake “Parasite.”

“Snowpiercer” is now set to premiere on May 17 on TNT.



By Choi Ji-won (jwc@heraldcorp.com)