How different is Amazon's Utopia remake compared to the original, based on the footage seen so far? The epic Utopia story began in 2013, with Dennis Kelly's vision making an instant impact on UK TV. Utopia courted controversy due to its brutal, unflinching violence, but also attracted acclaim for its direction, story, characters and music. A dense, winding conspiracy story, Utopia wasn't necessarily a ratings smash, and was cancelled after two seasons, much to the ire of fans. The original series wasn't afforded a proper ending, and Utopia's cult following has passionately campaigned for a third season or movie ever since, but to no avail.
Despite being off-screen since 2014, Utopia's sterling reputation as an underground hit has remained intact, leading to Amazon's announcement of a U.S. remake in 2018. A reinterpretation of Utopia had been in the works previously with David Fincher, but it took the might of Amazon to get things moving and with Gillian Flynn as showrunner, the new Utopia will arrive in September 2020. The main cast includes Sasha Lane, Rainn Wilson, Cory Michael Smith, John Cusack, Dan Byrd, Desmin Borges and Ashleigh LaThrop.
As with any UK-to-US television remake, changes to the source material are inevitable, and the recent trailer highlights just how much Amazon's series will be forging its own path. The general basis of Utopia remains intact - a global conspiracy woven around a little-known, esoteric comic book, the titular Utopia. As a group of fans uncover the secrets behind the comic, they find themselves hunted down by a powerful, shadowy organization whose methods are less than gentle. Here are all the differences between the original Utopia and Amazon's remake so far.
Amazon's Remake Has Less Blood & Guts
As mentioned above, the original UK Utopia ruffled feathers with its grizzly approach to violence. Select highlights include a man's eye being removed with a spoon and an assassin shooting a classroom of schoolchildren, and it's no surprise that the latter attracted significant media attention, especially airing weeks after the Sandy Hook massacre. Arguably, this controversy overshadowed Utopia's first season, causing mainstream outlets to associate the series more with gratuitous violence than the unique visuals or compelling narrative. However, the violent scenes did serve a purpose, spelling out the threat posed by the villainous Network in no uncertain terms and underpinning the story with a true sense of dread. The timing might've been appalling, and the sequences themselves were intentionally uncomfortable, but Utopia actually wasn't as bloody as its reputation suggests, using choice examples of intense, extreme violence, as opposed to a constant stream of gore.
It's clear from the new Utopia trailer that Amazon's series isn't going to be anywhere near as confrontational or challenging in its use of violence. As a general rule, trailers will tend to omit any gritty and mature moments, but this isn't the case with Utopia. Gillian Flynn has openly confirmed that the U.S. version won't be as brutal as its British counterpart.
The New Cinematography Isn't As Striking
Utopia's enduring legacy can be partly attributed to the cinematic visuals, utterly unlike anything else on the small screen. Mixing together open, gorgeous urban and rural landscapes with striking, vivid colors, Utopia's wide shots quickly became legendary, while the juxtaposition between the peaceful locales and the murky conspiracy bubbling underneath created a quirky contrast. Utopia's photography will be used in case studies for years to come, and the remake was always facing an uphill battle to replicate that.
Amazon's Utopia trailer does contain several visual homages and parallels to the original. The bright yellow bag and recurring color palette are retained, and attempts are made to mirror the trademark landscape shots of the UK series. Inevitably, however, there's a certain quality missing. Where 2013's Utopia was artfully framed, the cinematography in Amazon's series looks like any other show. The trailer still brings some fantastic looking scenes to the table, but where a trailer would usually seek to highlight the most impressive visuals a series has to offer, there's a clear difference compared to the old series.
Jessica Hyde Isn't Hiding
Where is Jessica Hyde? Right there in trailer, around 15 seconds in. The line "where is Jessica Hyde?" became a calling card for both Utopia fans and its characters - a memorable catchphrase that neatly sums up Utopia's keen mystery and offbeat humor. The line was also utilized heavily in marketing, since Jessica Hyde's enigmatic whereabouts are a key plot point in the original story. Jessica Hyde appears at the end of the first episode, but until that point, her presence and role is kept secret. By contrast, Amazon's Utopia trailer doesn't use the Jessica Hyde name, and explicitly shows the character aiding the protagonists on their journey.
Perhaps the new Utopia is assuming viewers will already be familiar with the cast before tuning in, meaning any attempt to obscure Jessica Hyde would be useless. Or maybe Amazon are simply looking for fresh marketing tricks that aren't already associated with the original series. Nevertheless, it's strange that the main tagline of the UK's Utopia doesn't even get a reference in the new trailer, and also unusual that the footage would give away Jessica Hyde so easily.
Utopia's New Lighter Tone
Dennis Kelly's Utopia was dark, there's no argument to be had over that. The series was comedic, but strictly in the mold of a black comedy, where laughs were borne from tragedy or deeply inappropriate situations, like a young child swearing, or a stranger cheerfully telling a young mother that her choice to become a parent is destroying the environment. There are no such dark jokes in the Amazon trailer, which instead showcases a much lighter tone in general. Dan Byrd's character enjoys some goofy lines, Rainn Wilson makes a joke about evil, and the whole ensemble is ironically accompanied by REM's "It's The End Of The World As We Know It."
Similar to how the violence has been toned down and the visuals feel more familiar, Utopia's humor is more mainstream in the remake. Like an adventure thriller peppered with a handful of wry gags. It's possible that this is merely the trailer's doing; it's not unusual for promo footage to strike a more accessible chord compared to the finished product, after all. Either way, Utopia's less intense approach will help Amazon's series stand out from its predecessor, but fans of the UK series could miss that lack of darker comedy.
The Stearns Flu
In the original Utopia, The Network conspire to release Russian flu upon the world's population as part of a deeper, more sinister conspiracy against mankind. As seen in the trailer, however, the US version has reworked this storyline, replacing Russian flu with Stearns flu, named after Rainn Wilson's character, Michael Stearns. A scientist by trade, Stearns works on the virus without knowing how his pathogen will be misused by the story's villains. After unwittingly creating a worldwide pandemic, Stearns teams up with the Utopia comic conspiracy gang to help put things right.
This is a complete rewrite of Kelly's story. While the British group of protagonists do eventually ally with a scientist who was dragged into The Network's plot against his will, he's nothing like Stearns, and wasn't responsible for creating the flu strain being spread across the world. Having Stearns join Jessica, Ian and Becky's group could potentially grease the wheels of story progression. The heroes of the original story had to piece everything together for themselves, with no expert knowledge of their own to call upon. Having the man who created his own version of flu on their side could create a pacier tempo in Utopia's first season on Amazon.
Is John Cusack A Proper Villain?
Utopia didn't originally have a single overarching villain throughout its two-season run. Villain duties in season 1 were shared by The Network as an organization and the two assassins sent to track down Jessica Hyde, but a bigger enemy emerged in time for season 2. Although Utopia season 3 never happened, an entirely different antagonist was set up. The real villain of Utopia was never a single figure, but an idea that different people would adopt over the course of the series. Judging from Amazon's trailer, however, John Cusack's Dr. Christie will give the Utopia remake its central face of megalomania and evil.
Cusack's character appears to be the head of ChristieBio - and the company name alone sounds incriminating in a show with a flu pandemic. Dr. Christie is a powerful, influential public figure with a much darker streak behind closed doors, and could be the central villain that Utopia UK never had. Moreover, ChristieBio is a private company, whereas the Russian flu incident in the original series was being peddled by governments and a secret worldwide organization, changing the complexion of the remake entirely.
...Is That A Superpower?
It could just be the trailer's clever editing, or a dream sequence completely removed from its intended context, but does Amazon's Utopia introduce superpowers? Around the 1:36 mark, two armed figures with platinum blonde hair and white suits fire their guns towards unseen opponents. Then next frame appears to show the intended target (potentially Ian) deflecting the bullet with their hand, leaving behind a black mark. The original Utopia wasn't even remotely fantastical in this sense, with an intricate conspiracy the most outlandish element in the mix. Introducing supernatural themes to Utopia would be a controversial move, and fans will be hoping there's more to this scene that the trailer lets on.
Utopia premieres September 25th on Amazon Prime.