The lead cast has come together for an upcoming Netflix true-crime thriller centred on one of the most infamous domestic terrorists in U.S. history. Titled UNABOM, the film stars Jacob Tremblay (Room, Wonder) as a young Ted Kaczynski and Russell Crowe as Henry Murray, the controversial Harvard professor whose experiments played a key role in shaping Kaczynski’s disturbing trajectory. Shailene Woodley and Annabelle Wallis round out the main cast.
Directed by Janus Metz (Borg vs. McEnroe, All the Old Knives), UNABOM will explore the origins and manhunt of the man who terrorised the United States over a near-20-year span. “UNABOM is a story about a young man who feels increasingly disenfranchised by society and decides to take up violence as a means of revenge,” Metz told Netflix site Tudum. “We crosscut between two timelines, roughly speaking: the making of the Unabomber and the capture of the Unabomber.”
The film is based on a script by Sam Chalsen and Nelson Greaves, and is being produced by Sophie Cassidy for 2.0 Entertainment, in association with MRC. Don Lee, Chalsen, and Greaves serve as executive producers. As reported by Deadline, the project has been in development since its inception at 2.0 and comes amidst Netflix’s continued push into prestige thrillers.
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Kaczynski’s transformation is depicted through his troubled past, including the controversial psychological experiments he underwent at Harvard under the supervision of Murray (Crowe). Decades later, FBI agent Joanne Miller (Woodley) leads a relentless investigation to bring the elusive bomber to justice. Wallis portrays Christiana Morgan, Murray’s academic partner and co-director of the Harvard Psychological Clinic.
“I was fascinated by the fact that the hunt for the Unabomber was the FBI’s longest and most expensive operation to date,” Metz said. “But what really drew me in was the story about Ted Kaczynski’s years at Harvard when he was a young math student. This was a side to the story I didn’t know about; it helps uncover a very dark chapter in American history.”
The director also praised his young lead: “Jacob Tremblay is an immensely talented young actor. He has a sensitivity that feels perfect for my vision of Ted when he was a young student at Harvard. There’s a vulnerability and intelligence to Jacob’s look and performance that this story needs. I was convinced that Jacob was right for the part after our first conversation.”
Production on UNABOM is currently underway. Netflix has not yet announced a release date, but it’s expected to premiere sometime in 2026.
