Extrapolations: Release Date, Cast, And More For The New Series Starring Meryl Streep And Edward Norton

The end of the world is a pretty lucrative topic when it comes to films and TV shows; It seems everyone is ready to get on board the minute a disaster looms. Recently, the pandemic has ushered in a whole host of shows about society's collapse after an infectious disease overtakes everything, with shows like "Station Eleven" and "The Last of Us" being two of the most recent adaptations to make it to TV. But they are not the first shows to explore what might happen to society when faced with a cataclysmic event, and they most certainly will not be the last. In fact, this March will see the release of a new show, "Extrapolations," which will approach the subject of humanity's existence on earth in a more subdued, but still terrifying kind of way. Here is everything you need to know about this new show from Apple TV+ (and no, Regrettably, Timothée Chalamet is not in it).

"Extrapolations" will be available to stream on Apple TV+ starting on Friday, March 17th (Happy St. Patrick's Day, to those who celebrate!). The first three episodes in the series will be available to watch immediately, with the remaining six episodes set to release each week on Fridays. Apple TV+ has been on the rise recently — last year's Best Picture win for CODA being one of the streaming service's biggest accomplishments — so we can expect that "Extrapolations" will be ready to continue to impress. If you're not already an Apple TV+ subscriber, you can sign up for $6.99 a month (which includes a 7-day trial period). 

The press release for "Extrapolations" states that the show,

"is a bracing drama that introduces a near future where the chaotic effects of climate change have become embedded into our everyday lives. Eight interwoven stories about love, work, faith and family from across the globe will explore the intimate, life-altering choices that must be made when the planet is changing faster than the population. Every story is different, but the fight for our future is universal. And when the fate of humanity is up against a ticking clock, the battle between courage and complacency has never been more urgent. Are we brave enough to become the solution to our own undoing before it's too late?"

It sounds like the show is taking a subtler approach to the exploration of climate crisis (rather than being quite as panic-stricken as more recent examinations of the topic like, the 2021 Oscar-nominee "Don't Look Up") seeking to show the effects of humanity on the environment in more nuanced ways. If that's true, then "Extrapolations" seems like a unique approach to an often-explored topic. Hopefully once a trailer drops, we will have an even better idea of what's in store.

"Extrapolations" is directed by Scott Z. Burns. Burns is no stranger to climate change and global-scale cataclysmic events. Many of his past works have touched on these topics, like 2011's "Contagion" written by Burns and directed by Steven Soderbergh, which told the story of a race to contain a deadly disease outbreak before it turns into a full-blown, worldwide pandemic. Burns was also a producer for the 2006 documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth," which set out to bring awareness to the effects of climate change. Burns has also written screenplays for other big films like 2007's "The Bourne Ultimatum" and 2009's "The Informant!" Most of the episodes of "Extrapolations" are written by Burns, but the author Dave Eggers, filmmaker Sarah Nolen, and others also appear to have writing credits for some episodes.

Stepping in as producer for "Extrapolations" is Media Res, the production studio created by Michael Ellenberg (HBO's former Head of Drama) which has gone on to help produce other series, most recently HBO's remake of Ingmar Bergman's "Scenes From a Marriage." You have undoubtedly seen photographs on the internet of Oscar Isaac looking dapper in that collegiate professor chic. The press release also notes that "the series marks another partnership for Apple TV+ and Media Res, joining Emmy, SAG and Critics Choice Award-winner "The Morning Show," and AFI Award-winning series "Pachinko"." Alongside Burns and Ellenberg, other producers for the series are Dorothy Fortenberry, Gregory Jacobs, and Lindsey Springer.

One of the most impressive things about "Extrapolations" is its massively star-studded cast. Some of the show's biggest names include the iconic Meryl Streep, who will appear alongside Kit Harington ("Game of Thrones"), Edward Norton ("Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery," "Fight Club"), Daveed Diggs ("Hamilton"), and Sienna Miller ("The Edge of Love").

The star power doesn't stop there, though. Other big names include Murray Bartlett ("The White Lotus"), Gemma Chan ("Crazy Rich Asians," "Eternals"), Gaz Choudhry, Marion Cotillard ("Big Fish," "The Dark Knight Rises"), Michael Gandolfini ("The Many Saints of Newark"), Heather Graham ("Boogie Nights," "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me"), Judd Hirsch ("Independence Day," "Uncut Gems"), Diane Lane ("The Outsiders," "Under the Tuscan Sun"), Tobey Maguire ("Spider-man"), Keri Russell ("Felicity"), David Schwimmer ("Friends"), Yara Shahidi ("Black-ish"), Indira Varma ("Game of Thrones"), and Forest Whitaker ("Arrival," "Panic Room"). 

MaameYaa Boafo ("The Mysterious Benedict Society"), Eiza Gonzàlez ("Baby Driver"), Adarsh Gourav ("The White Tiger"), Ben Harper, Cherry Jones ("A Rainy Day in New York"), Hari Nef ("Assassination Nation"), Tahar Rahim ("The Serpent"), Matthew Rhys ("The Post"), and Neska Rose are also set to star. 

It's not clear just how each of these actors will be showing up in the new series, but IMDB lists Cotillard, Gonzàlez, Maguire, and Whitaker as appearing in all eight episodes of the show. Whether or not that means they will have significant roles in the series is yet to be determined, but one thing is for sure: With a cast this impressive, we cannot wait to find out.