Entertainment

The Trailer For Netflix's New Horror Series Makes Fyre Festival Look Like Paradise

by Jessica Wang
Netflix/YouTube

Don’t expect a cheese sandwich and a bottle of Evian water on the I-Land. Netflix's The I-Land trailer is like Fyre Fest meets Lost. On Aug. 20, Netflix unveiled a new trailer for its upcoming “mind-bending” sci-fi adventure limited-series The I-Land, and the clip will invoke so many familiar staples of pop culture: the ill-fated Fyre Festival, the survival drama Lost, and… The Hunger Games? In a press release obtained by Bustle, the synopsis for the The I-Land, set to debut on Netflix on Sept. 12, reads: “When ten people wake up on a treacherous island with no memory of who they are or how they got there, they set off on a trek to try to get back home.”

The synopsis continues, “They soon discover this world is not as it seems. Faced with the I-Land’s extreme psychological and physical challenges, they must rise to their better selves — or die as their worst ones.” The seven-episode limited series will star Kate Bosworth, Natalie Martinez, Alex Pettyfer, Ronald Peet, Kyle Schmid, Kota Eberhardt, Sibylla Deen, Anthony Lee Medina, Gilles Geary, and Michele Veintimilla.

In the trailer, The I-Land invokes the feel of the promotional video for the failed luxury musical festival Fyre Fest. Only, the images of the famed pig in the crystal clear water and influencers by the pool and at a nightclub quickly turn deadly. The words “immersive and exclusive” and “captivating and breathtaking” quickly take an ominous turn when the words “once you arrive… you’ll never leave” appear on screen.

From there, it’s clear that something sinister is happening on the I-Land. With footage of blood and screams galore, the trailer concludes with two mysterious figures in a room full of screens overlooking the private island. The trailer then declares, “Everyone is invited… for a reason.” This is seriously invoking some Hunger Games vibes. Are these people actually Tributes in an arena? Could Bosworth and Martinez be social media savvy versions of Katniss Everdeen?

In an interview with ET Canada in October, Bosworth — who also serves as a producer of the sci-fi miniseries — spoke about the upcoming project and even invoked other sci-fi hits, such as Alien and Stranger Things.

"It’s sort of an adventure sci-fi but very grounded in character, which, as an actor I’m excited about," Bosworth told ET. "But I think the best sci-fi is grounded in character, you know? Whether you’re watching Alien or even Stranger Things to some extent. It’s fantasy sci-fi but you really care about the people involved.”

In the same interview, Bosworth opened up about taking on the role of producer, “I’m excited to produce it… I’m producing more and more," she said. "I’m gonna age myself now, but I’ve been doing this for 21 years. So I feel like, at a certain point you wanna be involved in the process more.”

The I-Land debuts on Netflix on Thursday, Sept. 12. If the trailer is any indication, the limited series might just find a fan in disgraced Fyre CEO Billy McFarland.