Netflix has released the first trailer for Unabomber, and it is an incredibly tense first look at Jacob Tremblay’s transformation into Ted Kaczynski. Inspired by true events, the upcoming thriller traces Kaczynski’s path from a 16-year-old Harvard student to the man who would become known as the Unabomber, moving between his troubled early years and the FBI investigation closing in on him decades later.
Tremblay stars as Kaczynski alongside Russell Crowe as Professor Henry Murray, with Shailene Woodley playing FBI agent Joanne Miller. Annabelle Wallis, Alexander Ludwig, Steven Ogg and Marc Menchaca also feature in the cast, with Janus Metz directing from a screenplay by Sam Chalsen and Nelson Greaves.
Official synopsis: “Inspired by true events, UNABOMBER follows Ted Kaczynski’s (Jacob Tremblay) transformation from Harvard prodigy into the infamous Unabomber. Subjected to controversial psychological experiments by Professor Henry Murray (Russell Crowe), Kaczynski’s troubled past resurfaces decades later when his manhunt, led by FBI agent Joanne Miller (Shailene Woodley), brings to light the chilling consequences of ambition and isolation. Moving between Kaczynski’s troubled past and the FBI investigation closing in on him, UNABOMBER reveals the chilling story behind the man, the mind, and the manhunt.”
The first trailer sets an uneasy tone almost immediately, moving between Kaczynski’s time at Harvard, the psychological experiments conducted by Murray and the later FBI investigation. Tremblay is almost unrecognisable from many of his earlier roles, with the footage showing a very different performance from the actor as the film follows Kaczynski across different stages of his life. Crowe also looks imposing as Murray, and Woodley’s investigation gives the trailer its other major thread as the search begins to close in.
Watch the trailer below.
The film is produced by Sophie Cassidy for 2.0 Entertainment, with Nelson Greaves, Donald J. Lee and Sam Chalsen serving as executive producers in association with MRC. Netflix is positioning Unabomber as one of its major autumn releases, with the film arriving on the streamer in September.
For CultureCues, from the look of this trailer, Unabomber could be a really strong thriller. The cast is excellent, but Jacob Tremblay is the real surprise here. We still associate him with so many of his younger roles, so seeing him this grown up and taking on something this dark is quite a shock, but he looks set to give an incredible performance in the role. Russell Crowe and Shailene Woodley make an already strong cast even better, so this has definitely moved up our September watchlist.
Unabomber premieres on Netflix on 25 September 2026.
CultureCues Editorial is the house byline for short-form entertainment news, trailer updates, release announcements and industry coverage. All CultureCues content is overseen by founder and editor Nikki Murray.