The Wachowskis’ Netflix Series Sense8 Reveals The Cast And New Plot Details
This article is more than 2 years old
The release of their most recent movie, Jupiter Ascending, may have been bumped back to February, but that’s not going to slow down the Waschowski siblings. In addition to their film work, they’re taking their first foray into episodic television, teaming with Netflix for the upcoming Sense8. Not much has been said about the project until now, as they’ve unveiled the cast and released some new plot details, and this sounds exactly as ambitious and esoteric as you expect.
According to Deadline the cast will include Naveen Andrews (Lost), Daryl Hannah (Splash), Brian J. Smith (Stargate Universe), Doona Bae (Cloud Atlas), Terrence Mann (Critters), Tuppence Middleton (Jupiter Ascending), Miguel Silvestri, Aml Ameen (The Maze Runner), Freema Agyeman (Doctor Who), Tena Desae (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), Alfonso Herrera, Erendira Ibarra, and Jamie Clayton (Hung). Hailing from all over the globe, this collection of individuals makes sense when you look at the new information about the story that also surfaced about the show.
Sense8 tells the story of eight different characters spread out around the world. When a tragic death occurs, they find themselves connected with one another in a mental and emotional sense. Not only can they see each other and talk to one another as if they were in the same room, they are able to access the other’s minds, including deep, dark secrets they’d rather keep hidden. “Not only must they figure out what happened and why and what it means for the future of humanity, they must do so while being hunted by an organization out to capture, kill or vivisect them.”
Given the Wachowskis’ credits lately, this sounds suitably grand and sweeping. Between this and Cloud Atlas, they’ve spent a lot of time toying with the idea of larger connections across seemingly insurmountable boundaries and borders. They could also use a hit. In the last decade plus, none of their movies have succeeded at the box office. We can debate all day what it means that Jupiter Ascending was delayed—whether it was because it isn’t very good and needs work, or as a knee-jerk reaction to Edge of Tomorrow failing to deliver, remains to be see, but they need a win.
Lana and Larry came up with Sense8 along with J. Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5, World War Z)—all three will serve as showrunners. The first season, which will most likely appear later this year or early in 2015, will run for ten episodes, and according to Straczynski, they plan for the series to last for five seasons.
