The alien invasion continues on Apple TV+. The streamer has renewed their sci-fi drama Invasion for a second season just as the first season is slated to wrap up with its finale this week. It follows the struggles of a series of characters worldwide dealing with the ongoing invasion of a hostile alien threat with all having their own perspectives on the crisis.
Created by Simon Kinberg (X-Men: Days of Futures Past, Star Wars Rebels) and David Weil (Hunters), Invasion sought to tell a more down-to-earth alien invasion story (excuse the oxymoron) with many of the characters having vastly different backgrounds. Sam Neill plays a longtime sheriff nearing the end of his career, Golshifteh Farahani is a Syrian woman trying to start a new life with her family in Long Island, and Shamier Anderson portrays a soldier fighting in Afghanistan. These are just some of the unique characters the show introduced and their reactions to the world crumbling around them were always given more emphasis than the invasion itself. Also starring in the series are Shioli Kutsuna, Firas Nassar, Billy Barratt, Azhy Robertson, Tara Moayedi, and Daisuke Tsuji.
Kinberg thanked Apple and the audience for giving him the opportunity to explore the project, saying in a statement:
"I’m profoundly grateful to Apple for being so supportive every step of the way, and trusting us to make a deeply human, emotional alien-invasion story. And most of all I’m thankful to our amazing fans, without whom we wouldn’t have this opportunity to continue the invasion. I’m super excited about what we’re planning for season two, expanding our universe in the most intimate and epic ways."
Invasion has the hallmarks of a blockbuster with filming taking place in locales around the world, a feat only made more impressive due to the ongoing pandemic. The show was written and produced by Kinberg and Weil with Jakob Verbruggen (The Alienist) who directed and executive produced. Andrew Baldwin helped write for the show and executive produced alongside Audrey Chon, Amy Kaufman, and Elisa Ellis. Katie O’Connell Marsh also executive produced through Boat Rocker Studios.
Matt Cherniss, Apple TV+'s head of programming, expressed his excitement for the show's continuation, saying:
"From day one, we have been hooked on this unique, engrossing and very human telling of an invasion story which deftly explores how the lives of different characters around the world are impacted when Earth is under siege. It has been so rewarding to witness global audiences respond to the brilliant performances, the captivating mystery and the sweeping cinematic vision, not to mention some pretty terrifying alien intruders. We couldn’t be more excited for viewers to see what Invasion creators David Weil and Simon Kinberg have in store for these characters — as well as our planet — in season two."
Season 1 of Invasion concludes on Friday, December 10.