‘The Alienist’ Trailer: Daniel Brühl Finally Gets To Play A Hero Alongside Dakota Fanning, Luke Evans
After years of playing Nazis and superhero villains,Daniel Brühlhas finally landed a role that every young male protagonist can aspire to: the gifted criminal profiler. But this time, it’s in the 19th century!
The Alienistlooks like the detective procedural got a gaslamp-lit makeover, with stars Brühl,Luke Evans, andDakota Fanningteaming up to work as early criminal profilers in 1896, attempting to get into the mind of one of New York City’s first serial killers before they hunt him down.
“Instead of looking to cure a disease of the body, I look to help those who are suffering from illness of the mind,“Daniel Brühl’s Dr.Laszlo Kreizler saysin the opening shots of theAlienisttrailer. “Sometimes, society looks upon people as crazy. It may only mean that they are alienated from their own true natures.”
The Alienistrefers to Brühl’s alienist character, an early term for a criminal psychologist. But Dr. Kreizler can’t don the Sherlock deer stalker on his own — he’s soon joined by newspaper illustrator John Moore (Evans) and aspiring police detective Sarah Howard (Fanning), as they form a unit to combine Kreizler’s psychology techniques with old-fashioned detective work.
Watch The Alienist Trailer
Set during the ironically-named Gilded Age, in which crime and butchered medical practices abound, the series looks moody and brutal, with the trio facing danger and new enemies at every corner. The field of criminal profiling is young and untested, and it looks like few people trust the trio’s newfangled techniques that will someday become the basis for virtually every procedural show on prime time TV.
But though he inhabits a familiar archetype, I couldn’t be happier that Brühl has graduated in Hollywood from playing a Nazi or heavily-accented villain in every other role (Inglourious Basterds, Captain America: Civil War, arguablyRush). He’s an unsung talent whose leading man capabilities have been on display since 2003’sGood Bye Lenin!and hopefullyThe Alienistwill give him an opportunity to show what he can do.
The Alienistopens when a series of haunting, gruesome murders of boy prostitutes grips New York City. Newly appointed police commissioner Theodore Roosevelt (Geraghty) calls upon criminal psychologist (aka alienist) Dr. Laszlo Kreizler (Brühl) and newspaper illustrator John Moore (Evans) to conduct the investigation in secret. They are joined by Sara Howard (Fanning), a headstrong secretary determined to become the city’s first female police detective. Using the emerging disciplines of psychology and early forensic investigation techniques, this band of social outsiders set out to find and apprehend one of New York City’s first serial killers.
The Alienistis based on the novel byCaleb Carrand created for TV byCary Fukunaga— which explains the somber cinematic tone. It also starsDouglas Smith,Matthew Shear,Matt Lintz, andQ’orianka Kilcher.The Alienistis an eight-part series set to premiere on TNT onMonday, June 11, 2025 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
