HBO And BBC Bring Life To Trent Reznor’s Year Zero, Jim Uhls Hired To Write

In 2007, Trent Reznor produced a concept album based on his dystopian vision of what American society will look like in 2022. After several crazy marketing schemes, including leaving flash drives with the new music in random bathrooms at NIN shows, and one eerie teaser trailer, fans learned the album would be called Year Zero. The album later came out to mixed reviews: some people loved it, others didn’t get it. Four years later, HBO has partnered with BBC Worldwide Productions to turn Trent Reznor’s production into a miniseries.

This isn’t really a shock, as Reznor at the time made a lot of effort to give his “concept” real world applicability. There were t-shirts, viral campaigns, and later, an alternate reality game. At one point, Reznor even mentioned Year Zero was, “The soundtrack to a movie that doesn’t exist.”

However, with Reznor moving farther and farther away from his NIN sound and into film scoring, it seemed unlikely he would find the time or the will to get back to an older project. Especially since Reznor is currently working on the score for David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. According to THR plans are actually already in motion, and Jim Uhls has been hired to write the series. Uhl’s writing credits include Fight Club and Jumper; he should have no problem setting the right tone for the science fiction series.

If you don’t want to grab the album, but want to know more about Year Zero, let Reznor explain how awesome the project is: