Back in 2016, there was a sci-fi short film by directors and writers Joseph Bennett and Charles Huettner called Scavengers. To say that it was surreal is the understatement of the century. The entire short film felt like a dream of an alien world, or possibly a nightmare of the same. It’s really hard to tell with that short film’s story. Nevertheless, HBO Max has decided that a short film would make a great basis for a sci-fi series titled Scavengers Reign. Don’t believe me? Then why not check out HBO Max’s new official teaser trailer below, and also have your mind boggle at the bizarre events occurring in this just-as-bizarre alien world?

Scavengers Reign: Details

If you have any idea of what’s going on in this show, then you’ve got a leg up on me.

HBO Max is proud to announce Scavengers Reign via that teaser trailer above on YouTube. Joseph Bennett and Charles Huettner will direct and write for this animated sci-fi series. Said series will feature the voices of Sunita Mani, Wunmi Mosaku, and Alia Shawkat in unnamed roles, with Pollyanna McIntosh, Sepideh Moafi, and Dash Williams as guest stars also in unnamed roles.

So what will Scavengers Reign be about? Alas, it’s difficult for me to say even after watching it. The whole teaser trailer was just too bizarre for me to get a read on it. The logline for this upcoming series from HBO Max gives you a better idea of the story, but not by much. You can check out the entire logline below:

In this surreal sci-fi animated series from creators Joseph Bennett and Charles Huettner, the remaining crew of a damaged interstellar freighter ship find themselves stranded on a beautiful, yet unforgiving alien planet where they must survive long enough to escape or be rescued. As the survivors struggle to locate their downed ship and missing crewmates, their new home reveals a hostile world allowed to thrive without human interference.

Scavengers Reign will make its debut on October 19, 2023 with 3 entire episodes. HBO Max will follow it up with 3 more episodes weekly until November 9, 2023. As you can guess though, this is a HBO Max exclusive, so you’ll have to get a paid subscription to watch this series. In the meantime though, you can check out the original Scavengers short film for free on YouTube below.

Horror or surreal sci-fi? I can’t tell.

Bonus: Teaser Art

Scavengers Reign teaser art 1.
Is it just me, or does this world have way too many moons?

That’s not all, folks! HBO Max also has a bunch of teaser art for Scavengers Reign to make you guess even more at the story. You can check them all out below:

Scavengers Reign "Don't Go Alone" teaser art.
Should trees be growing like that?
Scavengers Reign "Find Your Purpose" teaser art.
There’s something Studio Ghibli about this teaser art.
Scavengers Reign "Dream of Something More" teaser art.
At least there’s only one sun.
Scavengers Reign "Tread Lightly" teaser art.
The trees have eyes, it seems, and possibly other appendages.