Skip to main content

ICYMI: Amazon WWII original series, The Man in the High Castle, releases this fall


Just in case you missed it among the din of Comic-con last month, Amazon’s original series The Man in the High Castle, which examines a scenario where the Axis won World War II rather than the Allies, is coming this fall — and the trailer for the series has the show looking dark and exciting.

The drama, deemed an “alternate history,” is based on the 1962 novel by Philip K. Dick and executive produced by Ridley Scott, will star Alexa Davalos (Mob City), Luke Kleintank (Pretty Little Liars), Rupert Evans (The Village), Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Mortal Kombat Legacy), and Rufus Sewell (Eleventh Hour). Scott, an English director and producer, is known for a string of hits movies, which include Blade Runner, Alien, Thelma & Louise, Gladiator, and Black Hawk Down. He also executive produces the popular TV series The Good Wife.

Related: Take a look at the new pilot episodes on Amazon original series

The pilot for the show was released in January to gauge viewer interest, and was deemed the most-watched of Amazon’s growing string of original series pilots. A month later, the program was, not surprisingly, picked up for the full season.

Based on the 1:47 minute trailer, it’s a dark show that will explore the grit and political unrest of the war in each hour-long episode. Playing ominously in the background is the Pledge of Allegiance with a dark yet soothing young girl’s voice singing. “Evil triumphs only when good men do nothing,” says one of the characters, setting the stage for one scene.

The Man in the High Castle Season 1 - Official Comic-Con Trailer | Amazon Video

Known as the deadliest war in history, World War II, which took place from 1939 through to 1945, involved more than 100 million people from 30 countries, divided into two groups known as the Allies and Axis. Allied were nations included the U.S., Soviet Union, U.K., France, and Poland; while the Axis were headed by Germany, Japan, and Italy. Following a series of devastating events, from the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to the Holocaust, the Allies eventually came out as “victors.”

World War II sparked a massive change in the political world, including the establishment of the United Nations to help prevent conflicts going forward.

The Man in the High Castle will be available to Amazon Prime members through Amazon Instant Video some time this fall, but you can watch the pilot right now.

Christine Persaud
Christine is a professional editor and writer with 18 years of experience in trade and consumer journalism. While she started…
The best animated movies on Netflix right now
A cat points a bat at another cat in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

While Nimona has been the big Netflix original animated film of the summer, it's far from the only addition to the lineup. Netflix is making sure that animation fans are well served in August with the first two Despicable Me movies, Bee Movie, and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2. However, Netflix's biggest recent addition is one of 2022's biggest animated hits: DreamWorks' Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

Netflix's deals with Sony Pictures Animation, DreamWorks Animation, and Universal Pictures have given it a powerhouse library of animated films. And that's before we even get into Netflix's impressive originals like The Sea Beast. To help you keep track of what's new and what you can stream right now, we've updated our list of the best animated movies on Netflix.

Read more
From Barbarella to Howard the Duck: the 7 cheesiest sci-fi movies ever
Howard the Duck in "Howard the Duck."

The science-fiction genre has a vast smorgasbord of cheesy films stretching way back to the early days of cinema. Such pictures are known for their weird stories, unrealistic dialogue, low-budget productions, and exaggerated acting.

While many of these films have been panned by critics and audiences alike, some of them have garnered success for being "so bad, they're good." Whether or not they have been held up by a dedicated fan base, these seven movies stand out as the cream of the cheesy sci-fi crop.
Flash Gordon (1980)

Read more
10 best Batman stories ever, ranked
Batman Year One cover

Bounding from rooftop to rooftop, the Dark Knight never misses his mark. He operates like a well-oiled machine tracking bad guys, beating them to a bloody pulp, and throwing them in the slammer - or Arkham Asylum should they be anyone of Gotham's notable supervillains. As the brainchild of Bob Kane and Bill Finger, an artist and writer duo, Batman has been pounding the pavement of Gotham ever since his debut in Detective Comics in 1939. He's undergone a number of changes since his original conception ultimately becoming the brooding powerhouse we know today.

Most understand the basic tenants of Batman these days. His parents were murdered before his young eyes leading him down this path of personal vindication and pursuit of justice. Batman, in most iterations, never resorts to killing -- the one crime that separates his outlaw vigilante operations from the real criminals. Of course, it wasn't always that way. In Batman's earliest days, he had no qualms about ending the lives of baddies on the streets. Even now, some stories and films like Tim Burton's gothic take on the character depict him looking on with cold and uncaring glares as criminals meet their end. Regardless, Batman is mostly a well-established hero simply seeking justice and there are countless stories of the Caped Crusader. Let's take a look at the best among them.
10. Hush

Read more