Bong Joon-ho's Snowpiercer Gets Its First Official Poster

Trains have played a central part in some of cinema’s most engaging mystery thrillers. A short list would read Sidney Lumet’s Murder on the Orient Express, Alfred Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train, and Brad Anderson’s Transsiberian. No matter how long that list gets, however, it will never include Joseph Ruben’s Money Train.

The next entry on that list, however, could be Bong Joon-ho’s upcoming Snowpiercer, which has released its ominous first poster, as seen below courtesy of Twitch The sci-fi thriller, based on the French graphic novel Le Transperceneige, takes place during an Ice Age brought about by failed efforts to stop global warming, where all of Earth’s remaining survivors travel aboard the Snow Piercer, a non-stop train powered by perpetual motion.

The train cars’ passengers are separated by a class system that pits the lower rungs of humanity near the back of the train, where a revolt begins to form. The poster does a great job of conveying this social split, where a group of blurry faces are contrasted against a single man, probably John Hurt, standing above them all. Judging from his clothes, it’s unclear whether he’s this group’s leader or their antagonist, but he sure is tall, isn’t he?

Joon-ho’s treasure-filled filmography is full of difficult conflicts, whether it’s the cops vs. a serial killer in Memories of Murder or a goofy dad vs. a giant monster in The Host. This will be his first time with such a large cast of stars, including the aforementioned Hurt as well as Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, Ewen Bremner, Jamie Bell, and Octavia Spencer, and his first with a budget as large as $40 million. But considering how monumental The Host looked with just $11 million, Snowpiercer might be one of the best looking thrillers this year, as well as one that resonates particularly strongly in this socially polarized country. Just don’t describe it as “Crash meets the end of Speed.”

Nick Venable
Assistant Managing Editor

Nick is a Cajun Country native and an Assistant Managing Editor with a focus on TV and features. His humble origin story with CinemaBlend began all the way back in the pre-streaming era, circa 2009, as a freelancing DVD reviewer and TV recapper.  Nick leapfrogged over to the small screen to cover more and more television news and interviews, eventually taking over the section for the current era and covering topics like Yellowstone, The Walking Dead and horror. Born in Louisiana and currently living in Texas — Who Dat Nation over America’s Team all day, all night — Nick spent several years in the hospitality industry, and also worked as a 911 operator. If you ever happened to hear his music or read his comics/short stories, you have his sympathy.