James R | On 23, Sep 2018

Cary Fukunaga has said he wouldn’t return for a second season of Maniac, even if the series was greenlit for another outing.

The mind-bending comedy, which stars Emma Stone and Jonah Hill, follows two lost souls (Annie and Owen) who find themselves forming a connection during a pharmaceutical trial. That trial is led by Dr. James K. Mantleray (Justin Theroux), who aims to be able to fix any kind of pain, but whose unorthodox methods soon descend into chaos of both the physical and metaphysical kind, as memories, trauma and hallucinations collide with Annie’s broken relationships with her mother and her sister and Owen’s possible diagnosis of schizophrenia.

The series sparks a string of plays upon different genres, from offbeat heists to fantastical adventures and corridor shootouts – a dizzying array of set pieces that makes it no surprise that Fukunaga has just been announced as the new director of the next James Bond film, replacing Danny Boyle. Even that commitment notwithstanding, though, the director has made it clear to Business Insider that he wouldn’t return for another bout of Maniac. The series is officially a miniseries, intended as a one-off, but its acclaim might well inspire Netflix to consider ordering more.

“For me, I like to do one and move onto something else,” Fukunaga said. “I’d be very happy if another season were to happen, but I think they were just thinking about this as a limited season and if there’s an appetite for another one then I think [writer] Patrick [Somerville] would be happy to take it up and do it again. But not with me.”

 

Jonah Hill and Emma Stone make a strange connection in new Maniac trailer

13th September 2018

Jonah and Hill and Emma Stone start to forge a cosmic connection in the new trailer for Netflix’s Maniac.

Created by Patrick Somerville and directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, the series follows Annie Landsberg (Emma Stone) and Owen Milgrim (Jonah Hill), two strangers drawn to the late stages of a mysterious pharmaceutical trial, each for their own reasons: Annie’s disaffected and aimless, fixated on broken relationships with her mother and her sister; Owen, the fifth son of wealthy New York industrialists, has struggled his whole life with a disputed diagnosis of schizophrenia. Neither of their lives have turned out quite right, and the promise of a new, radical kind of pharmaceutical treatment – a sequence of pills its inventor, Dr. James K. Mantleray (Justin Theroux), claims can repair anything about the mind – draws them and 10 other people to the facilities of Neberdine Pharmaceutical and Biotech for a three-day drug trial that goes inevitably awry.

Co-starring Trudie Styler, Jemima Kirke and Gabriel Byrne, the series has wowed our senses with its mind-bending images in previous trailers, but now is seeking to win our hearts with this new trailer that puts the bond between Stone and Hill’s characters front and centre – making this the unlikely Superbad sequel we never knew we needed.

Maniac premieres on Netflix on Friday 21st September. Here’s the new video – or read on below for some new images too.

 

 

Maniac Season 1 is available on Netflix UK, as part of an £9.99 monthly subscription.

 

Netflix unveils full trailer for Maniac

6th August 2018

“What do you think is wrong with you?” asks Dr. Mantleray (Justin Theroux) in the new trailer for Netflix’s Maniac – and it’s a question that opens up all kinds of surreal answers.

The series stars Jonah Hill and Emma Stone as Annie Landsberg (Emma Stone) and Owen Milgrim (Jonah Hill), who find themselves caught up in a pharmaceutical trial gone awry.

Annie’s disaffected and aimless, fixated on broken relationships with her mother and her sister; Owen, the fifth son of wealthy New York industrialists, has struggled his whole life with a disputed diagnosis of schizophrenia. Neither of their lives have turned out quite right, and the promise of a new, radical kind of treatment — a sequence of pills its inventor, Dr. Mantleray, claims can repair anything about the mind. That promise draws them and 10 other strangers to the facilities of Neberdine Pharmaceutical and Biotech for a three-day drug trial that will, they’re assured, with no complications or side effects whatsoever, solve all of their problems, permanently.

Directed by True Detective’s Cary Fukunaga, the series is based on the 2014 Norwegian series of the same name, but the True Detective and Beasts of No Nation appears to have pulled off something remarkably unique, with everything from Ant-Man-style perspective games going on to a tiny purple koala hanging from a tree. “Multi-reality brain magic shit” is how Emma Stone’s Annie describes it. Judging by this brain-warping two-minute tease, that’s only the start of it.

Maniac premieres on Netflix on Friday 21st September. Here’s the trailer:

 

Trailer: Netflix’s Maniac set for September release

29th July 2018

The first teaser trailer for Netflix’s Maniac has landed online, and it’s a psychedelic treat that promises something mind-bendingly different.

Directed by True Detective’s Cary Fukunaga, the series is based on the 2014 Norwegian series of the same name. The Norwegian show was about a patient at a psychiatric ward, who lives in a fantasy world in his mind. Produced by Paramount TV and Anonymous Content, the New York-set remake stars Jonah Hill and Emma Stone as two strangers, Annie Landsberg (Emma Stone) and Owen Milgrim (Jonah Hill), who find themselves caught up in a mind-bending pharmaceutical trial gone awry.

Annie’s disaffected and aimless, fixated on broken relationships with her mother and her sister; Owen, the fifth son of wealthy New York industrialists, has struggled his whole life with a disputed diagnosis of schizophrenia. Neither of their lives have turned out quite right, and the promise of a new, radical kind of pharmaceutical treatment—a sequence of pills its inventor, Dr. James K. Mantleray (Justin Theroux), claims can repair anything about the mind, be it mental illness or heartbreak—draws them and ten other strangers to the facilities of Neberdine Pharmaceutical and Biotech for a three-day drug trial that will, they’re assured, with no complications or side effects whatsoever, solve all of their problems, permanently.

The dark comedy is penned by Patrick Somerville. It premieres on Netflix on Friday 21st September.

Here’s the trailer:

 

First look: Emma Stone and Jonah Hill in Netflix’s Maniac

18th April 2018

Netflix has released the first pictures of Emma Stone and Jonah Hill’s new series, Maniac.

Directed by True Detective’s Cary Fukunaga, the filmmaker looks set to be leaving his distinctive fingerprints all over it, with the colourful stills teasing a uniquely vibrant feel.

The dark comedy is penned by Patrick Somerville and based on the 2014 Norwegian series of the same name. The Norwegian show was about a patient at a psychiatric ward, who lives in a fantasy world in his mind. Produced by Paramount TV and Anonymous Content, the New York-set remake Hill and Stone as two strangers who find themselves caught up in a mind-bending pharmaceutical trial gone awry.

Here are the pictures:

 

Sally Field joins Netflix’s Maniac

6th October 2017

Sally Field has signed on to Netflix’s Maniac.

The dark comedy, from True Detective director Cary Fukunaga, is penned by Patrick Somerville and based on the 2014 Norwegian series of the same name.

The Norwegian show was about a patient at a psychiatric ward, who lives in a fantasy world in his mind. Produced by Paramount TV and Anonymous Content, the New York-set remake already has out-of-this-world names in front of the camera as well as behind it, with both Emma Stone and Jonah Hill set to star, alongside Justin Theroux and Jemima Kirke. The US remake will follow the fantasy world of both Hill and Stone’s characters.

Now, Sally Field has boosted the wattage of the star line-up. Her character is strictly under wraps, with Deadline speculating she may play Jonah Hill’s mother, but it marks Fields’ returns to the small screen since her role on ABC’s Brothers & Sisters.

 

Jemima Kirke joins Netflix’s Maniac

24th September 2017
Jemima Kirke has joined the increasingly impressive cast of Netflix’s new original series, Maniac.

The dark comedy, from True Detective director Cary Fukunaga, is penned by Patrick Somerville and based on the 2014 Norwegian series. Produced by Paramount TV and Anonymous Content, the New York-set show already has impressive names in front of the camera as well as behind it, with both Emma Stone and Jonah Hill set to star.

Now, hot on the heels of The Leftovers’ Justin Theroux bagging a part, Girls alumna Jemima Kirke has also signed on. The Norwegian show was about a patient at a psychiatric ward, who lives in a fantasy world in his mind. The US remake will follow the fantasy world of both Hill and Stone’s characters, with Theroux signing up to play the recurring role of James Mantleray.

We don’t know what part Kirke will play, but we do know that filming is underway now on the 10-episode series in New York City. Kirke, meanwhile, can next be seen in The Little Hours, which premiered in the UK at the recent Edinburgh Film Festival, Emma Forrest’s Untogether, opposite Jamie Dornan and Alice Eve, and Jamie Adams’ Wild Honey Pie, opposite Alice Lowe.

 

Justin Theroux signs up for Netflix’s Maniac

20th August 2017

Justin Theroux has signed on to star in Netflix’s new series, Maniac.

The dark comedy, from True Detective director Cary Fukunaga, is penned by Patrick Somerville and based on the 2014 Norwegian series. Produced by Paramount TV and Anonymous Content, the New York-set show already has impressive names in front of the camera as well as behind it, with both Emma Stone and Jonah Hill set to star.

Now, that line-up just got more impressive, with Theroux tapped to co-star.

The original series followed Espen, a patient at a psychiatric ward, who lives in a fantasy world in his mind. The US remake will follow the fantasy world of both Hill and Stone’s characters, with Theroux signing up to play the recurring role of James Mantleray.

While the show marks a reunion for Superbad’s Stone and Hill, it also marks a reunion for Theroux, who starred in HBO’s The Leftovers. The acclaimed drama had several episodes written by Somerville. With that recently concluding its third and final season, for two of its alumni to join the same new project is promising vote of confidence.

 

Leftovers writer to pen Netflix’s Maniac

23rd October 2016

The Leftovers writer Patrick Somerville will pen Maniac, Netflix’s new series from Cary Fukunaga.

The show, which was given a straight-to-series order earlier this year, will star Emma Stone and Jonah Hill. It’s produced by Paramount TV and Anonymous Content, and is based on the 2014 Norwegian comedy series. That followed Espen, a patient at a psychiatric ward, who lives in a fantasy world in his mind.

The show spans 10 episodes and is exec produced by Stone and Hill, along with Fukunaga, Anonymous’ Michael Sugar and Doug Wald, Kruke Kristiansen and Anne Kolbjornsen and Espen PA Lervaag and Kjetil Indegard. Ashley Zalta will co-exec produce.

For Fukunaga, it marks something of a reunion with the streaming giant, following his Netflix original film Beasts of No Nation, while his True Detective was also produced by Anonymous Content. Stone and Hill, meanwhile, co-starred in breakthrough roles in the comedy Superbad.

A-list stars, top-flight director, a successful TV series to remake… The only thing the project needed when Netflix commissioned it was a writer – and now, Somerville is stepping up to the plate.

Somerville is certainly a writer with kudos: he penned two episodes of The Leftovers Season 2, has penned four episodes of The Bridge and two episodes of 24: Live Another Day and acted as story editor on many more episodes – not a bad CV for only two years of work.

With him in place, you can expect production to start picking up pace in the coming months. Indeed, Netflix has plans to release over 1,000 hours of original content in 2017, up from over 600 this year.

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