A new trailer offers a closer look atTowards Zero. The upcoming three-episode BBC One miniseries is an adaptation of theAgatha Christie bookof the same name, which was originally published in 1944 and follows the intrigue surrounding tennis star Neville Strange (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) as he spends his holiday at the home of his wealthy aunt Lady Tressilian (Anjelica Huston) in the wake of a recent divorce. The star-studded cast of the series also includes Mimi Keene, Jackie Clune, Grace Doherty, Jack Farthing, Clarke Peters, and Matthew Rhys.
BritBoxhas now releaseda new official trailer forTowards Zero. The trailer plays underneath a portentous monologue explaining the title, which is a reference to the fact that the story is counting down to a potential murder that has not yet taken place. The potential victims and killers seen in the trailer are numerous, but it seems that the story will largely revolve around the love triangle around Neville, who has brought his new wife on vacation with his ex-wife. See the trailer below:
What This Means For Towards Zero
The Trailer Emphasizes Its Tone And Unusual Format
In addition to introducing the core characters and the premise, the newTowards Zerotrailerhints at the tone which the new series will take. By combining the ominous voiceover monologue with eerie piano music and a generally more downbeat feel, ithighlights the more severe and sinister nature of the series. While this is a tone that other Christie adaptations have taken, it is nevertheless a far cry from more buoyant works like the long-running seriesPoirotand the 2022 miniseriesWhy Didn’t They Ask Evans?.
LikeTowards Zero,Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?was an adaptation of a Christie novel that does not involve either of her most famous recurring detective characters, Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple.
By embracing the darkness of its premise, theTowards Zerotrailer emphasizes the story’s reversal of the classic murder mystery format. While the idea that the nature of the murder can itself be the core of a mystery story has been explored in modern projects like the HBO seriesBig Little Lies,this approach is unusual in Agatha Christie’soeuvre, so it makes perfect sense that the trailer would highlight it by any means possible.
Our Take On The Towards Zero Trailer
It Could Become The Definitive Adaptation
Given the massive number ofAgatha Christie moviesand television shows that have been adapted since the author published her first novel in 1921,Towards Zerois not the first time that the source novel has been brought to the screen.Previous versions include the loosely adapted 1995 movieInnocent Lies, the 2007 French featureL’Heure Zéro, and the seriesMarple, which adapted it as a season 3 storyline. However, given its unique tone and its star-studded cast, the new miniseries could very well become the definitive adaptation of the original text.
In the United States and Canada,Towards Zeropremieres on BritBox on April 16.
