Many ambitious science fiction fans are approaching Apple TV Plus. With the second season of See currently running and upcoming projects like the Isaac Asimovs Foundation and the Tom Hanks – starring the dystopian future film Finch – 2021 is full of big projects for the Apple streamer. And now you can add Invasion to that formidable list.
The Alien Invasion series is set against a global backdrop, and with a huge budget and stunning visual effects, it’s likely to be a big hit when it premieres later this year.
So read on to see everything we know about Invasion on Apple TV Plus, what it’s all about, when and where to watch it, who’s in, and more.
And if you’re not already an Apple TV Plus subscriber, you can click the link below to sign up before the premiere of Invasion.
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Apple TV Plus may not have as much content compared to other streaming services, but it makes up for it in the quality of its content. This includes series like For All Mankind and Ted Lasso to films like The Banker, Greyhound and Palmer
What is “Invasion” about?
Invasion will follow a diverse group of (human) humans as they come to terms with an alien invasion. In addition, very little is known about the plot of the alien invasion series.
As Apple describes it, “Invasion is a full, character-driven science fiction drama series that follows an alien invasion from various perspectives around the world.”
Among the human figures are astronauts and a ground crew in Japan, an American sheriff and a soldier stationed in Afghanistan. We also know, based on early reports, that the alien invasion streak follows a Syrian family on Long Island.
While the invasion itself remains somewhat mysterious, a television news chyron seen in the trailer reads “Unconfirmed reports of coordinated attacks,” and we see great damage to various cities and spaceships, suggesting that contact with the aliens is not peaceful.
“There is a reason we were placed on this earth. One purpose for everything, ”says a voice. “Something bigger.” That one purpose is now revealed, the trailer suggests, adding faith and spirituality to the narrative. “Maybe this is the point, the point to all of this.”
When and where can you see it?
Invasion premieres worldwide on October 22nd on Apple TV Plus.
On that day, the first three episodes will premier at the same time, as is customary with new Apple TV Plus Originals. And the remaining seven episodes of the 10-episode season will then be rolled out weekly on Fridays.
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Whether Apple has plans for a second season is not yet known, but a lot has been invested so far.
The invasion budget is estimated at $ 200 million.
Invasion joins other high-profile sci-fi series from Apple, like the upcoming Foundation, which launches in September. With huge budgets (the price of Invasion is estimated at $ 200 million), Apple seems to be making a huge contribution to new subscribers by appealing to genre fans.
Who is involved
Invasion will play a global cast befitting its international premise. The main cast and the characters they play are as follows:
- Sam Neill as Sheriff John Bell Tyson, a rural cop ready for retirement.
- Shamier Anderson as Trevante Ward, a soldier stationed in Afghanistan.
- Golshifteh Farahani as Aneesha Malik, a woman, mother, and Syrian immigrant living on Long Island.
- Firas Nassar as Ahmed Malik, Aneesha’s businessman and husband.
- Shioli Kutsuna as Mitsuki, member of Mission Control of the Japanese Space Program.
Simon Kinberg and David Weil designed and written the series. They appear to serve as showrunners, though Apple hasn’t explicitly labeled them as such.
Kinberg is perhaps best known for his work on Fox’s X-Men films, including directing 2019 Dark Phoenix. And Weil is considered the showrunner of the Amazon series Solos and Hunters.
Invasion executive producers are Kinberg and Weil, along with Jakob Verbruggen, Audrey Chon, Amy Kaufman, Elisa Ellis, Andrew Baldwin and Katie O’Connell Marsh.
Jakob Verbruggen directed the pilot, which was originally intended to be directed by Kinberg, but he was distracted by other projects.
Boat Rocker Studios produced the Alien Invasion series for Apple.
Chad Feehan was briefly involved as a showrunner, allegedly “out of necessity”, but left the project in early 2019.
How COVID-19 Affected the Invasion
Invasion’s production should begin in March 2020 after some delays.
As the COVID-19 pandemic developed, lock orders and production stoppages inevitably impacted invasion across its many international filming locations. Filming had to be suspended at the time as the world had to contend with health risks from the spread of the virus.
Invasion joins a variety of shows that had to postpone production due to the pandemic. These include HBO Max’s Gossip Girl, Hulus The Handmaid’s Tale, Netflix‘s Grace & Frankie, FX’s Y: The Last Man, and many more.
While we don’t have a lot of information about Invasion, the production trailer has a few key tidbits. And combined with official statements and rumors, that gives us a lot.
Here are a few pointers, rumors, and unanswered questions surrounding the alien invasion series:
- Early reports suggest strong parallels between Invasion and the HG Wells classic War of the Worlds. The focus on different global perspectives could align the series with M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs, which similarly told a story almost identical to War of the Worlds from the intimate perspective of a family living in rural Pennsylvania.
- Except for a quick look at what looks like an alien spaceship, we don’t see the aliens invading Earth. Close Encounters of the Third Kind kept its aliens off-screen for most of its runtime. Will Invasion do the same, or is Apple hoping to build a sense of mystery before the series premiere?
- The title Invasion and the slogan “Hold on your humanity” are reminiscent of the classic film Invasion of the Body Snatchers from 1956, which was last reissued in 2007 as The Invasion. Will invasion involve aliens taking over human bodies? Or does the reference to clinging to humanity refer to something else?
- The global scope of the Invasion series included plans to shoot on four continents, the US, UK, Japan and Morocco. It is unclear whether production at all four locations could run completely as planned due to COVID-19. But some filming definitely took place in New York, Morocco, and Manchester.
This is what we know (and some things we’re dying to find out) about the Invasion series coming to Apple TV Plus in October.
Make sure to sign up for the service if you want to watch!