Jacob Tremblay Becomes Ted Kaczynski in Netflix's Unabomber
Jacob Tremblay portrays Ted Kaczynski in Netflix's upcoming film Unabomber, arriving globally on the streaming service on 25 September 2026. The first-look photos, showcased by Netflix's Tudum site and reported by The Hollywood Reporter on 27 August 2026, show Tremblay in character as the young Kaczynski during his years at Harvard.
The film traces Kaczynski's transformation from a 16-year-old Harvard prodigy into the figure known as the Unabomber, the domestic terrorist whose mail-bomb campaign killed three people and injured 23 more over 17 years. That manhunt — running from Kaczynski's first bombing in 1978 until investigators found him in a cabin in the Montana woods in 1996 — was the longest in United States history (The Hollywood Reporter). Kaczynski died in prison in 2023 at age 81, taking his own life after a late-stage rectal cancer diagnosis.
Russell Crowe co-stars as Professor Henry Murray, the Harvard psychologist who subjected Kaczynski to controversial psychological experiments during his student years. Shailene Woodley plays FBI agent Joanne Miller, who leads the manhunt. The cast also includes Annabelle Wallis, Alexander Ludwig, Steven Ogg, and Marc Menchaca.
Janus Metz directs from a screenplay by Sam Chalsen and Nelson Greaves. Sophie Cassidy produces for 2.0 Entertainment, with executive producers Nelson Greaves, Donald J. Lee, and Sam Chalsen working in association with MRC — a film and television studio that co-produces and co-finances projects with streaming and broadcast partners. The film carries an R rating, Netflix's equivalent of a restricted theatrical classification.
Netflix first teased the project in a Tudum article on 29 July 2026, publishing first-look photos of Tremblay in character and confirming the cast and release date. People magazine followed with its own first-look coverage the same day, noting the film's focus on Kaczynski's early years at an Ivy League university. Netflix's official title page describes the project as a drama "inspired by true events."
Tremblay, now in his late teens, built his career as a child actor — most notably opposite Brie Larson in Room (2015) — and has since moved into darker, adult-leaning roles. Playing Kaczynski, whose name became shorthand for anti-technology extremism after the publication of his 35,000-word manifesto in 1995, marks a striking shift in trajectory for the young performer.
For Netflix, Unabomber continues a pattern of true-crime-adjacent programming that leans on recognisable names and real events to drive engagement on a global streaming slate. The platform has not disclosed the film's budget or any theatrical-window plans; Netflix typically releases its original films directly to subscribers without a cinema run, though select titles do receive limited theatrical openings for awards qualification.
Unabomber premieres on Netflix on 25 September 2026.
