Tom Holland’s new Apple TV show is going to be your next murder mystery obsession
From superhero to potential supervillain
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Tom Holland has traded in his superhero spandex for the role of a potential serial killer in the first thrilling trailer forThe Crowded Room.
TheMarvelmegastar, who portrays Peter Parker and his superpowered alter-egoSpider-Manin theMarvelCinematic Universe (MCU), looks almost unrecognizable in theApple TV Plusshow’s first teaser. Sporting long, straggly hair and a pale complexion, Holland’s Danny Sullivan is a far cry from everyone’s favorite friendly neighborhood wallcrawler – especially when Sullivan appears to be responsible for a spate of murders in 1970s New York.
Take a look at the trailer forThe Crowded Roombelow:
The Crowded Roomstars Holland as the aforementioned Sullivan, a reclusive man who was arrested following his apparent involvement in a shooting in 1979. To prove his innocence, Sullivan conducts a series of interviews with police investigator Rya Goodwin (Amanda Seyfried), who slowly unravels Sullivan’s mysterious past and his possible involvement in more than one crime.
The period-set psychological thriller, which is based on Daniel Keyes’The Minds of Billy Milligannovel, marks Holland’s second appearance in anAppleTV Plus project. Previously, Holland had starred in the Russo brothers' movieCherryin February 2021.Cherrydidn’t make it onto ourbest Apple TV Plus movieslist because, well, it’s not very good. But, given how suspenseful and dramaticThe Crowded Roomlooks, Holland may finally see his second Apple-led venture make it onto ourbest Apple TV Plus showsarticle very soon.
Joining Holland and Seyfried as part of the cast are Emmy Rossum (Shameless), Will Chase (Nashville), Sasha Lane (American Honey), Lior Raz (Hit and Run), Emma Laird (Mayor of Kingstown), Christopher Abbott (Girls), and Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter).
Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind,Transformers: The Last Knight) is on showrunning duties, and is joined by Suzanne Heathcote, Henrietta Ashworth, Jessica Ashworth, Cortney Norris, and Gregory Lassens in the writers' room. Kornél Mundruczó (Pieces of a Woman) is the only confirmed director so far.
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The Crowded Roomlaunches exclusively on Apple TV Plus with a three-episode premiere on June 9.
Playing mind games
Apple will be hopingThe Crowded Roomcan launch its psychological-positioned genre fare into the limelight when it lands in under a month’s time. After all, overall reception to the corporation’s in-house shows and films – in this particular field, anyway – has been mixed at best.
Surface, which debuted earlier this year and starredLoki’s Guge Mbatha-Raw, was met with critical acclaim and quickly renewed for a second season. However, the Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd-starringThe Shrink Next Doordidn’t perform as well as critically or commercially.
Meanwhile,Servant– M. Night Shyamalan’s four season-long psychological horror series – was met with widespread positive reviews from critics, but hasn’t proven as popular among Apple TV Plus' userbase. Lastly, on the movie front, psychological thrillerSharper– starring Julianne Moore and Sebastien Stan – saw a reversal of those roles, with audiences enjoying it far more than critics.
The Crowded Room, then, will hope to steady the psychologically-trained ship upon release. And, with an A-list star in Holland leading its starry cast, audiences will tune in to catch Holland in his latest role, regardless of how good or bad it is. Of course,The Crowded Roomwill need an engaging and meaty story to keep viewers around, and Apple TV executives will be hoping that it does as well as its other hit shows, such asTed Lasso,Shrinking, andSeverance. Just don’t be surprised if, thanks to Holland’s involvement, it performs admirably in its opening week or two at the very least.
For more Apple TV Plus coverage, read up on whether there’s anApple TV Plus free trial. Alternatively, find outwhySeveranceseason 2 has been delayed.
As TechRadar’s senior entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You’ll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.
An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Tom also writes reviews, analytical articles, opinion pieces, and interview-led features on the biggest franchises, actors, directors and other industry leaders. You may see his quotes pop up in the odd official Marvel Studios video, too, such as thisMoon Knight TV spot.
Away from work, Tom can be found checking out the latest video games, immersing himself in his favorite sporting pastime of football, reading the many unread books on his shelf, staying fit at the gym, and petting every dog he comes across.
Got a scoop, interesting story, or an intriguing angle on the latest news in entertainment? Feel free to drop him a line.
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