Australian actor Joel Edgerton leads the cast of The Plague, a gripping new sci-fi thriller series that has quickly become one of 2025’s most talked-about releases on streaming platforms. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Benjamin Howdeshell in his feature debut, the limited series blends tense survival horror with profound philosophical questions about fear, society, and the fragility of civilisation.

Based on the short story by Yan Leisheng and adapted for screen by Jack and Harry Williams (The Tourist), The Plague unfolds in a near-future world struck by a mysterious airborne pathogen that doesn’t kill — it alters. Victims retain physical health but lose higher reasoning, descending into primal, animalistic behaviour. As cities collapse into chaos, a small group of immune survivors must navigate moral dilemmas and their own darkening impulses while searching for a cure.

Edgerton stars as Dr. Elias Thorne, a virologist whose research may hold the key to reversing the plague — but at a devastating personal cost. Known for intense, layered performances in The Gift, Warrior, and Boy Erased, Edgerton delivers a career-defining turn as a man torn between scientific duty and protecting his family. Opposite him is Carmen Ejogo as journalist Mara Kane, whose investigation into the outbreak’s origins uncovers government cover-ups.

The ensemble includes Tessa Thompson, John Boyega, and Anya Taylor-Joy in pivotal roles, each grappling with the plague’s psychological toll. Thompson’s character, a former soldier, becomes the group’s reluctant leader, while Boyega portrays a charismatic politician whose ambition curdles into tyranny.

What elevates The Plague beyond typical pandemic thrillers is its focus on human nature rather than spectacle. Howdeshell employs claustrophobic cinematography and a haunting score by Volker Bertelmann (All Quiet on the Western Front) to mirror the characters’ internal descent. The series asks uncomfortable questions: When civilisation strips away, what remains? Is survival worth preserving if it means becoming the monster?

Critics have praised its intelligence and restraint. Variety called it “a thinking person’s outbreak story,” while The Hollywood Reporter noted Edgerton’s “quietly devastating” performance as the emotional core. With an 89% Rotten Tomatoes score, the six-episode run has sparked intense viewer debate about ethics, leadership, and sacrifice.

Filmed in Iceland and Australia to capture desolate beauty, The Plague resonates particularly in a post-COVID world, reminding audiences how quickly order can unravel. Edgerton, also an executive producer, has described the project as “the role I’ve been waiting for — complex, flawed, and deeply human.”

As 2025 ends, The Plague stands as a timely, unflinching addition to the sci-fi canon — proof that the scariest viruses aren’t always biological. Joel Edgerton’s commanding presence ensures this plague will linger long in viewers’ minds.