Billy Crystal is dipping his toes into the world of horror with the first trailer for “Before,” his upcoming Apple TV+ original. If creepy kids, intense scratchy drawings, mysterious houses and dead wives aren’t for you, click away.
The trailer starts with Eli (Crystal) in what seems to be a therapist’s office. “You’ve had a successful career helping kids. Can you identify the moment that changed?” a woman asks him.
“Of course,” Eli says. “It was the day my wife died.”
After showing a smiling framed photo of Judith Light’s Lynn, the tone of the trailer changes. That’s when a young boy by the name of Noah (Jacobi Jupe) appears on Eli’s doorstep with blood on his hands. Through a series of black-lined and scribbled drawings, we get a rough sketch of Noah’s backstory. The last parents who fostered him found him unnerving, he’s been expelled from multiple schools and he suffers from hallucinations. Eli, in an effort to connect with Noah, decides to play a game with him.
“Put your block in the middle. Now say something that makes you mad,” Eli instructs.
“People who do bad things,” Noah says.
“What kind of bad things?”
Noah then stares at the older man, his eyes widening. “You know what you did,” Noah responds. Watch the full trailer above.
“Before” revolves around a child psychiatrist who is struggling following the death of his wife. After encountering a troubled young boy, Eli attempts to help Noah. But the more he does, the more he realizes that Noah seems to have a mysterious connection to Eli’s past. The first two episodes of the 10-episode series will premiere globally on Apple TV+ on Oct. 25. New episodes will then premiere on Fridays through Dec. 20.
In addition to Crystal, Light and Jupe, the 10-episode supernatural thriller stars Rosie Perez, Maria Dizzia and Ava Lalezarzadeh. “Before” comes from Paramount Television Studios and is created by Sarah Thorp, who also serves as the series’ showrunner, writer and executive producer. In addition to starring in the series, Crystal executive produces the series alongside Academy Award winner Eric Roth, pilot director Adam Bernstein and producing director Jet Wilkinson.
