Jacob Tremblay Plays Ted Kaczynski in Netflix’s UNABOMBER Trailer With Russell Crowe

Netflix is taking another trip into the disturbing story of Ted Kaczynski, this time with Jacob Tremblay playing the mathematical prodigy who would eventually become one of America’s most infamous domestic terrorists.

The first trailer for Unabomber has arrived, offering a look at director Janus Metz’s film, which digs into Kaczynski’s troubled youth at Harvard while jumping ahead to the FBI investigation that ultimately brought his deadly campaign to an end.

Unlike the previous series and documentaries exploring the Unabomber case, however, this is a feature film that puts considerable focus on what happened to Kaczynski long before he disappeared into the Montana wilderness.

Tremblay plays Ted K, who entered Harvard as a brilliant 16-year-old student and struggled to fit in. During his time there, he became involved in controversial psychological experiments conducted by Professor Henry Murray, played by Russell Crowe.

The trailer leans into the intellectual and psychological side of their relationship, with Crowe delivering one of its more ominous statements: "Ideas are like fire. They burn from man to man."

The film moves between two periods in Kaczynski’s life. One follows his experiences as a young man and the events that contributed to his growing isolation, while the other follows the years-long investigation into the Unabomber attacks.

Shailene Woodley plays FBI agent Joanne Miller, who is tasked with hunting Kaczynski as investigators attempt to identify the person responsible for a bombing campaign that stretched from 1978 to 1995. Kaczynski’s attacks killed three people and injured 23 others.

As the investigation progresses, Unabomber pieces together Kaczynski’s past and his transformation from gifted student to terrorist, with the two timelines gradually forming a larger portrait of the man at the center of the case.

Netflix describes the movie: "A mind can fall into madness." Inspired by true events, Netflix's original film Unabomber follows Ted Kaczynski's (Tremblay) transformation from 16-year-old Harvard prodigy into infamous American terrorist known as the "Unabomber".

Subjected to controversial psychological experiments by Professor Henry Murray (Crowe), Kaczynski’s troubled past resurfaces decades later when his manhunt, led by FBI agent Joanne Miller (Woodley), brings to light the chilling consequences of ambition and isolation.

The cast also includes Annabelle Wallis, Alexander Ludwig, Steven Ogg, and Marc Menchaca. The screenplay comes from Sam Chalsen and Nelson Greaves, with Sophie Cassidy producing for 2.0 Entertainment in association with MRC.

Tremblay is an intriguing choice for the role, particularly since audiences have watched him grow up on screen after his breakout performance in Room. Here, he’s taking on considerably darker material as the movie explores how an exceptionally intelligent teenager became the man responsible for a deadly 17-year bombing campaign.

Netflix will release Unabomber globally on September 25th, 2026.