The first images from TBS series Snowpiercer have been released, as a spring 2020 premiere date is confirmed. Snowpiercer began life in 1982 as the graphic novel Le Transperceneige, a dystopian sci-fi tale about a future world beset by an ice age, where the last remaining humans all live on a train that never stops moving. A film adaptation was made in 2013 by acclaimed Korean director Bong Joon-ho, with a cast that included Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell and Octavia Spencer.

Now, Snowpiercer is getting another adaptation, this time in TV series form. After first being set for TNT, the show is now coming to TBS, with a cast that includes Jennifer Connolly, Daveed Diggs, Nickey Sumner, Annalise Basso and Alison Wright. Unfortunately, the show’s production has been hit with a lot of problems, including the departure of original showrunner Josh Friedman, who was later replaced by Orphan Black co-creator Graeme Manson. More trouble ensued when pilot episode director Scott Derrickson refused to return for reshoots, a development that seemed to suggest Snowpiercer was in danger of heading off the rails.

Related: What To Expect From The Snowpiercer TV Show

But despite all the production difficulties, Snowpiercer indeed remains on track to arrive on TBS. As revealed by EW as part of their Comic-Con coverage, the show is now aiming for a spring 2020 debut (after originally being set to arrive in 2019). EW also dropped a trio of first look images which can be seen below:

Daveed Diggs in Snowpiercer
Jennifer Connolly as Melanie Cavill in Snowpiercer
Jennifer Connolly and Daveed Diggs in Snowpiercer

Not only is Snowpiercer set to hit Comic-Con on Saturday with a panel that includes Jennifer Connolly, Daveed Diggs and showrunner Graeme Manson, but the show has been giving fans at the event a literal taste of its dystopian world by offering bars made of insect protein powder. And having to eat bug bars isn't the only thing that makes the world of Snowpiercer uniquely grim. Like the prior movie adaptation, the TV series will show the rigors of life on a train where the lower classes live in squalor in the rear cars, while the rich reside in relative luxury in the forward cars. This is clearly a very loaded political metaphor, but nevertheless, episode director James Hawes told EW he doesn't necessarily see Snowpiercer as a political show. “It is adventure storytelling. But it obviously touches on a lot of themes from the news," Hawes said.

Given the critical acclaim heaped on the 2013 Snowpiercer film, the TV series has a daunting task ahead of it as it attempts to put a fresh spin on the material and establish itself as a must-see show in the crowded world of TV and streaming. TBS must have a fair amount of faith that Snowpiercer will succeed though, as they've already renewed it for season two.

More: Comic-Con 2019: The Best Movie/TV Panels (& What Will Be Revealed)

Source: EW