Eric Roberts’s Horror Movie Greatland Gets a Pandemic-Inspired Trailer

It was inevitable that, sooner or later, audiences would star tot see coronavirus-inspired films. Netflix already has a documentary about the virus, and now we’re starting to see the post-COVID reality reflected in movies, whether or not they were in production before the pandemic actually began. The latest such movie is Greatland, from Academy award-nominee Eric Roberts, Nick Moran (Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels), J.P. Manoux (Veep), former boxing champion of the world Shannon Briggs, and horror icon Bill Oberst Jr (The Devil’s Rejects). The film, from writer-director Dana Ziyasheva’s (Defenders of Life), feels especially timely given that everyone in the world is thinking about apocalyptic scenarios and viral outbreaks.

You can check out the official descript of the film from the producers, who are encouraging fans to involve themselves in the discourse around the film and ask any questions they might have, below. Greatland does not yet have a firm release date, but it does have a first trailer, which you can see above.

An allegory of today’s world, saturated with current political references and shocking imagery, the film’s teaser got a life of its own on social media, with shares, comments and reactions on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube ranging from WTF?!!! and “What did I just see?! to “Which side are you on?” With one FB follower who summarized it perfectly: “Exactly what this world looks like to an outsider. Freaks and f–ks all heading down the rabbit hole.”

The dystopian sci-fi feature, which also stars up and coming young actors Arman Darbo (And Then I Go) and Chloe Ray Warmoth (Fuller House), is the coming of age story of Ulysses set in imaginary country Greatland, whose citizens, the “Greats” are too evolved to bother with government, work, education, law, technology or money. Trapped in this world of perpetual fun and inter-species love ruled by a universal Mother, Ulysses must cross the forbidden frontier to save his childhood sweetheart, as an absurd election and a deadly Virus lead to chaos and violence.

With the future of traditional distribution system put in question by the pandemic, Greatland takes a new and innovative approach to promotion by engaging directly with its target audience. Given the timeliness and prophetic nature of the movie, the film creators are encouraging questions from the audience and answering them online thus engaging them in the complex and very original world building of the indie film all the while staying grounded in the contemporary political landscape.

Greatland, produced by Igor Darbo under his Popcorn & Friends banner, will be released later this year.