Learn All About Cary Fukunaga’s Maniac

Take a minute to familiarize yourself with Cary Fukunaga’s upcoming Maniac.

Cary Fukunaga has two upcoming series — one for television and the other for Netflix. Neither of them are based on original ideas. Instead, they’re each based on existing projects. The Alienist is based on a bestselling book, and Maniac is based on a Norwegian TV series. Maniac recently made headlines when it was announced that Jonah Hill and Emma Stone would star. Those are big names.

Maniac is an unknown property here. To help Cary Fukunaga fans get ready for Fukunaga’s version, Inverse put together an article on the original series. Maniac may not be well-known here, but it’s apparently beloved in Norway, where it premiered last year. The series follows Espen, who imagines himself in various hilarious situations.

Watch a trailer for the original series below:

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It’s safe to say that this is vastly different from anything that Cary Fukunaga has been involved with before. It has a definite post-modern humor vibe that fans of FX’s Louie will likely be very comfortable with. Last time we checked in with Maniac it had no writer to speak of, and that remains true as far as we know.

American remakes of foreign TV shows can be hit or miss. Showtime’s Homeland has been very successful and has won multiple awards. A&E tried its hand at adapting foreign TV with The Returned, a French show about people mysteriously returning from the dead and living normal lives. The adaptation was canceled after only a single season after failing to find an audience.

The Office ended up being massively, outrageously successful, but not until it found its own voice away from the UK original.

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There is reason to believe that Maniac will be different. Cary Fukunaga’s distinct cinematic eye will certainly help, as will the presence of Stone and Hill. A lot will hang on the writer who will have to decide how much of the original to keep or reshape.