The Trailer for Netflix's 'Eric' Is Dark & Full of Puppets
Benedict Cumberbatch and Ivan Howe in "Eric"
(Photo: Netflix)
Netflix’s Eric is undoubtedly one of the odder new releases heading our way this spring. It’s a missing child thriller starring Benedict Cumberbatch (The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar) as a father who becomes convinced a giant puppet is the key to finding his lost son, but darn if the trailer the streamer just dropped isn’t good enough to make anyone a believer. Cumberbatch plays Vincent Sullivan, a talented creator and puppeteer who’s the brains behind the wildly successful children’s program Good Day Sunshine. But when his son Edgar disappears on his way to school one day, Vincent is left desperate to find him and becomes increasingly obsessed with the idea that bringing his son’s drawings of a puppet named Eric to life, it will help him find his way home.
“Eric is a dark and crazy journey into the heart of 1980s New York — and the good, bad, and ugly world of Vincent,” creator and writer Abi Morgan (The Hour) told Netflix’s Tudum.
The trailer itself is surprisingly forboding, following Vincent’s spiral into what could well be considered madness as he obsesses over Edgar’s Eric art, drinks too much, and begins crafting a real-life version of the creature. Set to a stripped-down version of ABBA’s “S.O.S.,” the clip is full of dark imagery, from street brawls and neon-lit nightclubs to Sullivan’s visions of Eric in his head. (And since Cumberbatch also voices the seven-foot-tall, blue puppet, that’s definitely not creepy at all.
Here's the series synopsis.
Set in 1980s New York, Eric is a new emotional thriller from Abi Morgan following the desperate search of a father when his nine year old son disappears one morning on the way to school. Vincent, one of New York’s leading puppeteers and creator of the hugely popular children’s television show, ‘Good Day Sunshine,’ struggles to cope with the loss of his son, Edgar, becoming increasingly distressed and volatile. Full of self-loathing and guilt around Edgar’s disappearance, he clings to his son’s drawings of a blue monster puppet, ERIC, convinced that if he can get ERIC on TV then Edgar will come home. As Vincent’s progressively destructive behaviour alienates his family, his work colleagues, and the detectives trying to help him, it’s Eric, a delusion of necessity, who becomes his only ally in the pursuit to bring his son home.
Alongside Cumberbatch, the limited series also stars Gaby Hoffmann (Transparent) as Vincent's wife, Cassie, McKinley Belcher III (One Piece) as lead detective Michael Ledroit, and newcomer Ivan Howe as Sullivan’s son Edgar. Other featured cast members include Dan Fogler (Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore), Clarke Peters (The Man Who Fell to Earth), Phoebe Nicholls (A Very British Scandal), David Denman (The Serpent Queen), Bamar Kane (Io Capitano), Adepero Odyue (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier), Alexis Molnar (Rise), and Roberta Colindrez (A League of Their Own).
Lucy Forbes (The End of the F***ing World) directs all six episodes and serves as an executive producer alongside Morgan, Cumberbatch, Jane Featherstone (This Is Going to Hurt) and Lucy Dyke (Black Mirror). Holly Pullinger (Don't Forget the Driver) is a series producer.
Eric will premiere with all episodes on Netflix on Thursday, May 30, 2024.
