The first trailer for Jesse Armstrong’s “Mountainhead” was unveiled on Tuesday, teasing another high-stakes satire of the superrich from the Emmy-winning creator of HBO’s “Succession.”
“Mountainhead,” Armstrong’s first release since “Succession” ended in 2023, will also mark his first feature film and directorial debut. It stars Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Cory Michael Smith, and Ramy Youssef as four friends who have all become tech-industry giants. Venis (Smith) is even described in the trailer as the “richest guy in the world.”
When the quartet reunites for a wintry getaway, Jeff (Youssef) is quick to taunt Venis for creating a company that’s “racist and shitty.” Later, tension mounts as news of an international crisis unfolds on their phones and TV screens.
Once Jeff gets word that the US president would like to speak with the group, he tells Venis, “Your platform has inflamed a volatile situation — circulating unfalsifiable deepfakes, massive fraud, market instability.”
Meanwhile, Randall (Carell) stands by stoically, and Souper (Schwartzman) attempts to defuse the situation with catering and poker.
Though Mark Zuckerberg currently trails Elon Musk for the title of world’s wealthiest man, it’s not a stretch to imagine that Venis’ unnamed platform was inspired by Zuckerberg’s Meta.
Meta has been accused of similar transgressions, including misappropriating user data, facilitating the spread of conspiracy theories and Russian propaganda during the 2016 election cycle, and, most recently, opening the door for more misinformation by removing third-party fact-checkers during a turbulent time for US markets. Zuckerberg has also made efforts to align himself with President Donald Trump during his second term in office.
Armstrong is known for drawing real-life parallels in his work, as with “Succession” patriarch Logan Roy, whose family dynamic and right-wing media empire closely resembles that of Rupert Murdoch. The show’s final season also introduced another influential billionaire, Lukas Matsson, who struck viewers as a Musk-esque tech bro crossed with Spotify CEO Daniel Ek.
Aside from the trailer, HBO has been keeping most information about the film’s plot under wraps. According to Francesca Orsi, the Executive Vice President of HBO Programming, “Mountainhead” is a “bold examination of modern greed, power, and male ambition.”
“Mountainhead” will premiere on HBO on May 31.
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