First Look at Jacob Tremblay as Netflix’s ‘Unabomber’

I can’t say that when I was watching adorable little child actor Jacob Tremblay in films like Room and The Book of Henry and Good Boys I ever thought to myself “That kid is a perfect choice to play the most notorious domestic terrorist of the late 20th century.”

And yet here we are. Tremblay is starring as the young Ted Kaczynski in Netflix’s new drama Unabomber. His part of the film is set in the late 1950s, when Kaczynski was still studying math at Harvard, and where he apparently participated in a psychological study of a disturbing and perhaps even abusive nature. In the film, Russell Crowe plays the psychologist in charge of the study.

The film also details the manhunt for Kaczynski in the 1990s, with Shailene Woodley appearing as the FBI agent in charge of tracking down the bomber.

You can watch Netflix’s Unabomber trailer below:

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While I don’t know enough about the young Unabomber to say that Tremblay resembles him or captures his essence, he certainly brings an unsettling energy to his scenes in this trailer. If he’s trying to redefine his onscreen presence as he moves into adulthood (Tremblay is now 19 years old) this might just do that in an Anthony Perkins, Norman Bates sort of way.

Here is the film’s synopsis:

Inspired by true events, UNABOMBER follows Ted Kaczynski’s (Jacob Tremblay) transformation from 16-year-old Harvard prodigy into the infamous Unabomber. Subjected to controversial psychological experiments by Professor Henry Murray (Russell Crowe), Kaczynski’s troubled past resurfaces decades later when his manhunt, led by FBI agent Joanne Miller (Shailene Woodley), brings to light the chilling consequences of ambition and isolation.

Unabomber premieres on Netflix on September 25.