Copyright. Netflix
Z Nation may have come to an end on Syfy, but as some will know, a prequel series in the form of Black Summer is on the way just around the corner. With season 5 of the zombie show dropping on Netflix on January 27th, we thought we’d take a look at everything you need to know about the new Netflix Original, Black Summer.
The announcement of Black Summer came slightly before the announcement that Z Nation wouldn’t be continuing. The series will serve as a prequel series.
What happened to Z Nation?
Well, you may have heard that Z Nation wasn’t picked up by Syfy for a sixth season. Syfy didn’t confirm why the series wouldn’t continue but David Michael Latt, the CEO of The Asylum who’s behind the two shows confirmed that it was probably over ratings.
No judgements at all!…but season 6 depends on Syfy saying YES or NO – which is all about the ratings. I suppose Netflix can just make it an 'original' — but they are already doing that with #BlackSummer (a #ZNation spinoff coming out in 2019). https://t.co/8ktDKkpal4
— David Michael Latt (@DavidMLatt) November 25, 2018
Ratings for Z Nation have consistently fallen since its first season, but many people relied on services like Netflix to watch the show rather than catching it live.
Z Nation is on Netflix pretty much everywhere around the world. The United States Netflix got the final fifth season of the show added on January 27th, with other regions expected to follow shortly.
It’s likely that Netflix had a look in on carrying on Z Nation into season 6 but has either not decided to or will wait to see how Black Summer performs.
There are certainly plenty of people out there who do want to see the sixth season.
So @netflix do you fancy picking up #Season6 @znation It would tie in beautifully with upcoming #BlackSummer Now how cool would that be? Think of the merchandise!!? Come on… you know you want to.. #saveznation #NetflixZNation #znation we need more @KeithAllanDuh & @hodgmahal
— Teresa Walsh ● (@teresaspost) January 26, 2019
How does Black Summer connect with Z Nation?
It’s similar to how The Walking Dead and Fear The Walking Dead work together. They share a single universe but are set in different time periods.
Black Summer starts at the beginning of the zombie outbreak so we’ll be given an insight into the chaos and destruction of the first few weeks. The story of Black Summer would need to last at least three years for it to tie in with the story of Z Nation, as that series began three years into the outbreak.
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- Black Summer Courtesy of Netflix
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- Black Summer Courtesy of Netflix
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- Black Summer Courtesy of Netflix
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- Black Summer Courtesy of Netflix
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- Black Summer Courtesy of Netflix
Who’s behind Black Summer on Netflix?
Be under no illusion that this is a completely separate show. The brains of Z Nation are behind this title, too, with it sharing most to all of its writing, directing, and producing staff with the Syfy series.
Abram Cox and John Hyams return to direct the episodes with writing credits, including Abram Cox, John Hyams, Daniel Schaefer, and Karl Schaefer.
Will any Z Nation characters show up in Black Summer?
That’s not been confirmed yet, but if it takes a similar direction to Fear The Walking Dead, it’s absolutely possible.
At the moment, however, we’re expecting a brand new cast, and over the course of season 1 and beyond, perhaps we’ll slowly see characters we know from the main show cameo.
Who’s starring in Black Summer?
The following cast members have been confirmed for Black Summer:
| Role | Actor/Actress | Where have I seen/heard them before |
|---|---|---|
| Rose | Jaime King | My Bloody Valentine, Sin City, Pearl Harbor |
| Spears | Justin Chu | Blindspotting, S.W.A.T, Days of our Lives |
| Lance | Kelsey Flower | With You Always, Amityville Witch Activity, The Takeaway |
| Barbara | Gwynyth Walsh | Star Trek: Generations, The Crush, Stargate SG-1 |
| Kyungson | Christine Lee | Colossal, What Next, Piano |
| Ryan | Mustafa Alabssi | *Debuting in Black Summer* |
| Carmen | Erika Hau | Push the Sky Away, Homemade, Blood Brothers |
| William Velez | Sal Velez, Jr. | Mayans M.C, Gente-Fied, Chicago Justice |
| Manny | Edsson Morales | Trails and Revelations, Fahrenheit 451, Rookie Blue |
The biggest reveal for Black Summer‘s cast so far has been Jaime King. Her involvement was announced back when the show was first announced.
Michael Tran/FilmMagic
Jaime King is known for her voice roles in Transformers: Power of the Primes and Star Wars: The Clone Wars but beyond that, she had a big role in Hart of Dixie. She’s also starred in My Bloody Valentine, Sin City, and Pearl Harbor. In Black Summer, her character is called Rose.
The only other major cast member that’s been announced so far is Sal Velez Jr, who will be playing William Velez. Sal has been featured in titles such as Mayans M.C., Ten Days in the Valley, and Chicago Justice.
Photo by Greg Doherty/WireImage
What’s the plot of Black Summer?
As the series rewinds the clock, expect us to get more of an insight as to what it was like when the Zombie outbreak first came to be. The main plot line is summarized best on IMDb, where it explains:
A mother searches for her daughter after civilization collapses due to a Zombie outbreak.
Speaking exclusively to EW, Jaime King described her character as “a midwestern woman who is in love with her husband and has been with him for a long time, and loves her daughter, and finds herself in these extraordinary circumstances.”
An official page for Black Summer has arrived on Netflix just, and they’ve described the plot as the following:
Set in the Z Nation universe, this series follows a crack team of special forces as they fight for hope in the darkest hours of the zombie apocalypse.
Where is the series in production?
Production has officially come to a close. Netflix is currently in the stage of marketing the show to subscribers worldwide.
In September 2018, the first rough cut of episode one was shown.
I just watched the first rough cut episode of #BlackSummer – our #ZNATION spin off series for @Netflix. How good was it? I had to pee 5 minutes in and still held it for almost an hour. And I could have just paused the video! pic.twitter.com/0mbmmwwDf3
— David Michael Latt (@DavidMLatt) September 7, 2018
How many episodes are there for the first season of Black Summer?
The first season has been confirmed to have eight episodes.
All eight episodes will be available to stream on the release date, which is April 11th.
Is there a trailer for Black Summer?
Yes! Compared to the Z Nation, this series looks way more terrifying!
When will Black Summer be released on Netflix?
Netflix has finally announced a release date for the zombie prequel series. Black Summer will arrive on Thursday, April 11th!
In the comments, let us know whether you’re looking forward to the new zombie series coming to Netflix.
Netflix Synopsis: "In the dark, early days of a zombie apocalypse, complete strangers band together to find the strength they need to survive and get back to loved ones."
