Above is the final trailer for Quibi’s new series (Series? Movie? Mini-series? I can’t tell with Quibi) called Survive. The show (You know what, I’m going with show) stars Sophie Turner and Corey Hawkins. Quibi is pitching it as a big deal because it obviously has a large budget, it’s one of their premiere programs and it’s Turner’s return to television after Game of Thrones. So Quibi is positioning Survive as one of the biggest weapons in their arsenal.
Even though each episode of Survive will be less than 10 minutes, this thing looks impressively robust. It follows a pair of airline passengers who are the sole survivors of a horrible crash. But, wouldn’t you know it, the plane doesn’t crash land on a tropical island or somewhere nice. Nope, the survivors are forced to rough it out in a frozen, deadly landscape. To make matters even worse, Turner’s character is suicidal and doesn’t even want to live in the first place. So that definitely complicates things.
I’m very curious about Survive because 1) I really want to see what Quibi has up their sleeves 2) I’m curious how this show will feel with each installment cut up into 10 minute chunks and 3) the first episode is directed by Mark Pellington, whose career I was quite fond of in the late 90s/early 00s. He directed Arlington Road and The Mothman Prophecies, two movies that I’ll ride for until the end of time. He’s got a keen eye for tension and creepy visuals and I’m happy to see him working again.
Quibi is set to launch in early April (no word on any possible COVID-19 delay) so the time is now to decide if you want to give it a try or not. What do you think, are you on board for these bit-sized stories or does the format not speak to you?
“Based on author Richard Abate’s novel, Survive will follow the story of Jane whose plane crashes on a remote snow-covered mountain and she, along with Paul, the only remaining survivor must pull themselves out of the wreckage and fight for their lives. Together they embark on a harrowing journey out of the wilderness, battling brutal conditions and personal traumas.”