Netflix trailer for 'Maniac' shows a drug trial gone off the rails
Jonah Hill and Emma Stone lose their grip on reality in grand fashion.
Netflix's high-profile Maniac series is no longer quite so mysterious. The streaming service has posted a full trailer for the dark comedy that reveals just what Owen (Jonah Hill) and Annie (Emma Stone) endure when the strange pharmaceutical trial goes haywire. Dr. Mantelray (Justin Theroux) is convinced that he has "solved" the mind, but just the opposite happens to our unwitting volunteers -- they're immersed in some "multi-reality brain magic" that drops them into fantasy lands and skews their perceptions. It's a commentary on society's obsession with "normal" and trying to flatten the peaks and valleys of your mental landscape.
The limited-run series premieres on September 21st, and Netflix is clearly making a big bet on the show. On top of the A-list cast, True Detective's Cary Fukunaga is making his presence felt as the director. Maniac represents Netflix's latest shot at commercial and critical glory, of course, but it's also a reminder of how much influence the company now has in the entertainment world -- it can attract all-star productions that would have been unfathomable just a few years ago.
