It’s rare that a real life event portrayed accurately can look like something out of a horror movie, but that’s exactly what HBO is going for in the first full trailer for Chernobyl, a new miniseries due this summer.
The series, from writer Craig Mazin (The Hangover II), will follow the last days of the nuclear site, when an accidental explosion devastated both Chernobyl and the entire surrounding area of Pripyat, then part of the northern Ukrainian SSR. But more importantly than the event itself, the series will also look at the horrific aftermath of the event and the men and women who helped prevent the spread of fission materials further into Europe.
The trailer is light on further details of Mazin orchestrates the character drama, and heavy on the striking imagery that the series is going to employ. Before the incident we are show boardrooms full of people arguing about the safety of the plant, but scenes after that the explosion that have the biggest impact in the trailer. Rubble and burning debris fill the air and we see men in hazmat suits attempting to clean what they can. We also see what happens to those unfortunate enough to be exposed to radiation without hazmat suits on in extremely gruesome detail.
Chernobyl stars Stellan Skarsgård and Jared Harris. The five-part miniseries debuts on HBO on Monday, May 6.
