'Devs': Release date, plot, cast, trailer and all you need to know about the FX sci-fi miniseries by Alex Garland
It’s easy to get excited about anything that stars Nick Offerman. But when you bring filmmaker Alex Garland (of ‘Ex Machina’ and ‘Annihilation’ fame) into the picture, you know you’re in for a treat. Presenting ‘Devs’, an eight-episode limited series that according to Garland feels more like one long movie, instead of a TV show.
Release Date:
‘Devs’ will premiere with two episodes on Thursday, March 5 on FX on Hulu.
Plot:
According to a synopsis on SlashFilm, in ‘Devs’, “a young computer engineer, Lily, investigates the secretive development division of her employer, a cutting-edge tech company based in San Francisco, which she believes is behind the disappearance of her boyfriend.”
Last year, Garland spoke about how he came up with the idea for the show. He said, “One was getting my head around this principle of determinism, which basically says that everything that happens in the world is based on cause and effect. So nothing happens that isn’t the result of a prior cause. And that has all sorts of implications for us. One is it takes away free will, but it also means that if you had a computer powerful enough you would be able to use cause and effect and use determinism in order to not just predict the future but also understand the past.”
Cast:
Sonoya Mizuno as Lily Chan
The 34-year-old Japanese-born British actress, model and ballet dancer has collaborated with Garland before in both ‘Ex Machina’, and ‘Annihilation’. She’s also had minor roles in ‘La La Land’, ‘Beauty and the Beast’, and ‘Crazy Rich Asians’. In 2018, she played the lead role in Netflix’s psychological drama ‘Maniac’.
Nick Offerman as Forest
Best known for his role as Ron Swanson in the NBC sitcom ‘Parks and Recreation’, the 49-year-old American actor has worked in a variety of comedy films, including ‘21 Jump Street’ and ‘The Lego Movie’. His role in the critically-acclaimed FX series ‘Fargo’ Season 2 was also well-received.
Alison Pill as Katie
The Canadian actor is best known for her role as Maggie Jordan in Aaron Sorkin’s drama series ‘The Newsroom’. Her other television credits include ‘In Treatment’, ‘The Pillars of the Earth’, ‘American Horror Story: Cult’, and ‘Star Trek: Picard’. She is also well-known for her role as Kim Pine in ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. the World’.
Trailer:
The trailer that dropped last month looks exceedingly futuristic but with telltale Garland vibes. It introduces Nick Offerman in a futuristic, golden-colored office space, in what looks like a leadership position. Lily Chan, on the search of her boyfriend, talks to Allison Pill and tries to figure out what Devs really is.
While the trailer doesn’t reveal much by means of plot, it does set a sense of foreboding as we witness bits and pieces of a mysterious technological force.
If you like ‘Devs’, you will also like:
‘Ex Machina’, ‘Arrival’, ‘Annihilation’, ‘Black Mirror’, and ‘The Feed’.