Jason Bateman leads the way in the first official trailer for Netflix's new series Ozark. The actor is best known for his comedic roles in series like Arrested Development and movies like Horrible Bosses, but in Ozark he will get to show off his dramatic chops. Bateman stars as Marty Byrde, a financial advisor who also happens to launder money for one of the top drug cartels in Mexico.
Eventually, Marty is forced to flee his otherwise ordinary life when he gets in trouble with the wrong people. He and his family, who live in the Chicago area at the start of the series, end up hiding near the Missouri-located Lake of the Ozarks -- hence, the title. But it's clear in the first trailer for the series, which is now available, that hiding will not be easy.
Netflix released the trailer on Thursday, giving the first glimpse of Bateman and the Byrde family on the run from their mysterious enemies. You can watch it in the video above. Set to Kanye West's gloomy number "Wolves," the trailer sets the tone for what looks like a relentlessly grim, ominous series. "Hypothetically, scale of 1-10, how difficult would it be for someone to disappear?" Marty asks a confidant in one clip.
The trailer quickly reveals that Marty is no ordinary financial advisor -- and his family knows it. Between the walls of money, burning piles of cash, and pursuit from violent individuals, it's clear that disappearing will be closer to a 10 on the difficulty scale for the Byrde family. "Look around - this place is death!" exclaims Marty's wife Wendy (Laura Linney) at one point. The trailer closes with the tagline, "Welcome to the last resort."
It's unclear at which point in the series that the Byrde family decides to attempt to hide in the Ozarks. Netflix ordered 10 one-hour episodes for the first season in February. Bateman also directed and co-produced the pilot episode, marking his first directorial effort since 2015's The Family Fang. Assuming multiple major roles in the production and stepping outside of his comfort zone, Bateman is certainly showing a lot of ambition with this project.
Bateman showed off his dramatic acting abilities in 2015's The Gift, which gives promise to his new role as Marty Byrde. However, there's always an inherent risk with actors directing their own work and Ozark will likely need to pull great performances from its cast to get the most out of its relatively simple premise. But the series does look visually impressive and has a chance to be one of Netflix's best new original series of 2017.
Ozark premieres July 21 on Netflix.
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Source: Netflix