Kristen Wiig and Tobey Maguire are siblings in love.
The first trailer for IFC’s forthcoming miniseries “The Spoils of Babylon” has been released, and it features some of the most stunning cinematography and overblown dramatic situations you’re likely to see this year – all in the interest of comedy.
The six-part miniseries – which seems to be taking satirical aim at epic prestige flicks like “Giant,” “Gone with the Wind” and even “There Will Be Blood” – follows the lives of the dysfunctional Morehouse family through the generations, “from the oil fields of Texas to boardrooms in New York City, through war torn battlefields and velvet-sheeted bedrooms.” The plot focuses specifically on the forbidden love affair between adopted siblings Cynthia (Wiig) and Devon (Maguire), the children of wealthy oil baron Jonas Morehouse (Tim Robbins).
If it all sounds terribly serious, it seriously isn’t, despite all the hallmarks of a sober drama (and none of the signifiers of a broad comedy) being present: tortured romance, drug abuse, family rivalries, tearful exchanges, epic face-slaps, etc. Given the unusual tone it’ll be interesting to see how audiences take to the concept, which comes from former “SNL” writers Matt Piedmont and Andrew Steele and producers Will Ferrell and Adam McKay (Ferrell also stars as two different characters, one of which is, hilariously, the Shah of Iran).
In the meantime, you can check out the trailer below, which among other pleasures features former child star Haley Joel Osment wearing what appears to be a purposely terrible wig.
“The Spoils of Babylon” debuts on IFC January 9. Let us know whether you’ll be watching by voting in the poll below.