Black Summer, Netflix’s new zombie apocalypse horror drama, is generating considerable buzz ahead of its debut on the streaming platform.
Black Summer is the prequel to Syfy’s Z Nation and both series are set in the same universe. Syfy canceled Z Nation in December 2018 after Netflix announced Black Summer in July.
Black Summer is expected to draw Z Nation’s loyal fan base, and other fans of the post-apocalyptic zombie horror genre.
Ahead of the premiere of the highly-anticipated drama on Netflix, here is everything we know so far about Black Summer.
When will Black Summer premiere on Netflix?
Black Summer will launch on Netflix on Thursday, April 11, 2019.
How many episodes will there be in Black Summer?
Netflix confirmed that Black Summer Season 1 will feature eight episodes, all launching at once.
Black Summer Season 1 production details
Black Summer is created by Karl Schaefer and John Hyams, who also serve as co-showrunners and executive producers. Fans will recall that Schaefer also created Z Nation with Craig Engler.
The writers for the series are Schaefer, Hyams, Daniel Schaefer, and Abram Cox.
Hyams and Cox serve as directors.
The series is produced by The Asylum, the company that produced Z Nation. The Asylum is also known for the Sharknado franchise.
Black Summer stars Jaime King as the leading character Rose.
Filming of Black Summer started in Calgary, Alberta, in July 2018, and wrapped up in September.
Black Summer cast
Black Summer stars Jaime King (Lemon Breeland on The CW’s Hart of Dixie) as Rose, a mother who was “torn from her daughter” after the outbreak of the zombie apocalypse. She embarks on a journey to find her daughter.
Justin Chu Cary appears as Spears, Kelsey Flower as Lance, Gwynyth Walsh as Barbara, Christine Lee as Kyungson, Mustafa Alabssi as Ryan, Erika Hau as Carmen, Sal Velez, Jr. (Mayans M.C.) as William Velez, Edsson Morales as Manny, and Aidan Fink as Leader.
Black Summer trailer
Netflix dropped the official trailer for Black Summer on March 18. The trailer has gone viral on YouTube with more than 1.7 million views.
The trailer shows panicked civilians being chased by zombies. In the ensuing chaos, army personnel separate Rose from her daughter. Distraught when she realizes that her daughter is gone, she sets out on a journey to find her.
Black Summer: What the series is about
Black Sumner is the prequel series to Syfy’s Z Nation. Z Nation, the post-apocalyptic horror-comedy drama series created by Karl Schaefer and Craig Engler, aired on Syfy from 2014 to 2018.
It was canceled after its fifth season. Being a prequel, Black Summer is expected to attract Z Nation’s loyal fan base.
According to an official plot synopsis released by Netflix:
Set in the dark, early days of a zombie apocalypse, Black Summer stars Jaime King as Rose, a mother torn from her daughter who embarks upon a harrowing journey to find her.
Thrust alongside a small group of American refugees, these complete strangers must find the strength they need to fight their way back to loved ones. But in order for Rose and her team to brave this hostile new world, they will need to make brutal decisions to contend with zombies – and each other.
While speaking at the 2018 Dan Diego Comic-Con about what fans can expect of Black Summer, Schaefer said the series is set before the events of the Z Nation’s apocalypse, but it will not feature any characters from Z Nation.
The series starts when the apocalypse in Z Nation first took place. It covers the months of summer when most of the population perished following the onset of the zombie apocalypse.
Schaefer explained that, unlike Z Nation which incorporated comedy, Black Summer will follow a conventional zombie apocalypse genre format.
The series will be a serious take on what could happen if the zombie apocalypse occurred in 2018, according to producer Jodi Binstock.
Black Summer will run a single connected storyline across the episodes unlike Z Nation, which had an episodic format.
Black Summer will be available for streaming on Netflix, starting on Thursday, April 11, 2019.