In 2013, the film Snowpiercer delivered genre fans a thrilling and inventive adaptation of the French graphic novel Le Transperceneige, which starred Chris Evans and Tilda Swinton. A new adaptation of the story is coming to TNT, which star Aleks Paunovic teases will have a massive scale and will reimagine the source material in inventive ways.
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When ComicBook.com asked Paunovic about his experience on the series, the actor shared, “It’s been great. It’s a massive ensemble. It’s an amazing cast. You know, Jennifer Connelly? Come on. And she’s been nothing but a pleasure to work with. An extremely smart actor. And all the creatives behind it, everybody behind the scenes and the actors, again, huge ensemble. So I’m just feeling very grateful that I get to be put in a spot to watch these people act. And having it on a TV series from a film that I thought was fantastic and them asking me to come aboard, no pun intended, to do the show, it’s been a blessing.”
Audiences might recognize Paunovic from SYFY’s Van Helsing, where he stars a Julius, a character who’s never afraid to get physical. Based on the brief description of his character, it sounds like Paunovic will once again be playing a character who needs to put his body at risk for a greater good.
“My character is a breach worker who does the most dangerous job on the train, because I get to fix stuff outside. So that kind of aspect really felt good,” Paunovic recalled. “And he’s kind of a fun-loving guy but with a very checkered history, and hopefully we’ll get to see that during the show. But so far, right now, it’s been a blast to work with these guys.”
In the original story, global governments attempt to control the global warming problem by releasing a chemical agent into the atmosphere, which inadvertently ignites a devastating ice age. Humanity is reduced to the 1,001-passenger train the Snowpiercer, which circles the globe in perpetuity.
The film focused on characters from the back of the train leading a charge to take over the front of the train, giving a sense of urgency to the narrative. Paunovic only teased details about the premise of the show, yet did note it will likely explore some unexpected themes.
“It’s different from the movie and the story, but all I can say is, reading the scripts, they’re fantastic. It’s captivating, and a lot of things happen that you go, ‘Oh, man, I never even thought of that,’” the actor confessed. “It’s definitely very exciting. I can’t really get too much into it, but I can definitely say that it’s something that keeps you going, for sure. Absolutely.”
Stay tuned for details on Snowpiercer, which is set to debut next year, and catch Paunovic in Season Three of Van Helsing, airing Friday nights on SYFY.
Do these details have you excited about the new series? Let us know in the comments below!