Trailer of the Week: LaKeith Stanfield Finds Himself in a Very Dark Fairy Tale

Don’t confuse Apple TV+’s adaptation of The Changeling for a reboot of the 1980 horror movie or 2008 Clint Eastwood film of the same name. This series is based on Victor LaValle’s 2017 novel, which was praised as a “smart and knotty merger of horror, fantasy, and realism.” Studios rushed to adapt the book almost — in 2018, there was some competitive bidding for the rights, which FX won. In 2021, the project moved to Apple TV+. The high interest in the material means there’s a lot of pressure on the streamer to get things right, and by the looks of the trailer, it just might.

Best trailer for the week of August 7: The Changeling, Apple TV+ (September 8)

The series follows Apollo (LaKeith Stanfield), a used book dealer whose wife, Emmy (Clark Backo), disappears after committing a mysterious horrific act after the birth of their first child. According to the trailer, it may be the result of a curse she and Apollo failed to take seriously, and the only way to bring her back is to travel through a nightmarish world filled with witches, demonic creatures, and other horrors.

Stanfield is no stranger to horror and the fantastical — on Atlanta, he tackled elements of both — instilling confidence that he’ll deftly carry this series. And the stunning and hair-raising visuals are promising, too, bringing to life the dark fairy tale world LaValle introduced in his novel. Apple TV+ hasn’t exactly had the best track record with book-to-TV adaptations, but maybe The Changeling will change that.

Honorable mention: Spellbound, Hulu (August 31)

Creators Jill Girling and Lori Mather are bringing the same breezy, mystical qualities of their 2018 Hulu teen dramedy Find Me in Paris to their new young adult series. Cece Parker Jones (Hailey Romain) finally gets to attend her dream ballet school in Paris, or so she thinks. When she arrives, she learns she needs to audition again to secure her spot, and begins to doubt she’ll achieve her dream after all. While there, she also discovers her family’s witchy history, leading her to grapple with whether to rely on skill or magic to make it — oh, and maybe save the world in the process.

Honorable mention: The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On Season 2, Netflix (August 23)

Five new couples are entering into Nick and Vanessa Lachey’s twisted love experiment, which puts them in a trial marriage with someone else for three weeks to test their relationship. Based on the trailer, things will get very messy. Gear up for public screaming matches, confessions of past infidelity, and a mysterious pregnancy test.

Brianna Wellen is a TV Reporter at Primetimer who became obsessed with television when her parents let her stay up late to watch E.R.