If you were looking for your Thursday dose of sarcasm, fantasy, and gore, look no further as Netflix has dropped a trailer for their upcoming witchy series, The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself. Based on Sally Green’s YA trilogy, Half Bad, the story will follow Nathan Byrn (Jay Lycurgo), the titular bastard son of Marcus Edge (David Gyasi, Interstellar), a bloodthirsty and brutal witch. With his seventeenth birthday quickly approaching, Nathan’s powers are coming in hot, something that both he and those around him are continuously anxious about.
Opening on exactly the reason why those closest to Nathan are terrified of who he may become, we see the teenager and his partner-in-crime, Annalise (Nadia Parkes) chased down by a police officer before their pursuer is blown to bits by Nathan’s powers. Laying out the background of the story, the teaser explains the different types of witches and why Marcus Edge is the worst of the worst. Finding himself trapped in his father’s shadow, Nathan struggles to trust that he won’t turn out exactly like him. But, when he discovers a prophecy that details how he’ll be the one to kill his dad, he realizes that he must embrace his powers and prepare for the fight of his life. Nathan goes into hiding with Annalise and fellow witch Gabriel (Emilien Vekemans) to properly hone in on his abilities and stay safe until the time is right. Along with plenty of magic and drama, the trailer also teases a love triangle between its trio of main characters.
The series was created and written by Joe Barton, who’s best known for his BBC Two and Netflix crime thriller, Giri/Haji. Fans of HBO Max’s Titans will recognize Lycurgo from his current run on the series as Tim Drake, while Parkes holds credits for The Spanish Princess and Doctor Who. The series also stars Isobel Jesper Jones, Karen Connell (Vikings), Paul Ready (The Death of Stalin), Kerry Fox (An Angel at My Table), Fehinti Balogun (Dune), Misia Butler (The School for Good and Evil), Liz White (Life on Mars), and Róisín Murphy.
Along with writing and serving as showrunner, Barton also joins as an executive producer alongside Andy Serkis, Jonathan Cavendish, Phil Robertson, and Will Tennant under Serkis’ Imaginarium Productions. Debs Paterson, Rachna Suri, and Colm McCarthy all signed on as directors with the former also serving as an executive producer. Adrian Sturges and Steve Clark-Hall produce.
The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself joins a slate of fantasy content heading to Netflix this fall that includes Tim Burton’s highly anticipated horror comedy series Wednesday, and Paul Feig’s magical and mystical star-studded feature The School for Good and Evil. You can check out the trailer for The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself below and head to Netflix to begin streaming it on October 28.