Silo: release date, cast, plot, trailer, interviews, first looks and all you need to know about the dystopian sci-fi drama

Silo on Apple TV+ sees Rebecca Ferguson plays engineer Juliette who lives in a society that's deep underground.
Silo on Apple TV+ sees Rebecca Ferguson plays engineer Juliette who lives in a society that's deep underground. (Image credit: apple tv+)

The cast of Silo is led by Dune, The Greatest Showman, and Mission Impossible star Rebecca Ferguson. It's a dystopian drama that brings to life the bestselling Silo trilogy by author Hugh Howey. Tim Robbins and David Oyelowo are also among the all-star star cast.

Formerly called Wool, sci-fi fans have been pretty excited about the new release of Silo produced by AMC Studios, calling it the successor to The Hunger Games, and we can see why. So here’s everything you need to know about Silo before as it hits Apple TV Plus…

SIlo arrives in spring 2023.

SIlo arrives in spring 2023 on Apple TV Plus. (Image credit: Apple TV+)

Silo release date

Silo launches worldwide on Apple TV+ on Friday May 5 2023. The show had previously been called Wool. Silo will premiere with the first two episodes on May 5, followed by one new episode weekly, every Friday through June 30, 2023 on Apple TV+.

Is there a Silo trailer? 

There are now official trailers and teaser trailers for Silo. Also below them is a trailer for the book which also might pique your interest further. Take a look here..

Silo on Apple TV+ plot

Silo is set in a tragic, toxic future, Rebecca plays Juliette, or Jules, an independent and hardworking engineer. Jules lives in a community in a giant silo hundreds of stories deep, which is the only way to survive on a planet where the air is poisonous. The survivors are forced to follow the strict rules they believe are meant to protect them. However some rebel against the regulations and dare to hope and dream for a better future. These people are considered to be dangerous and the punishment for breaking the rules is simple — they are forced outside to "clean". And that’s a task they won’t survive.   

Wool takes place on a post-apocalyptic Earth. What’s left of humanity lives in The Silo, a subterranean city 144 stories below the surface. There are strict rules that must be followed – the most important being not to talk or think about going outside. 

Anyone who expresses a desire to do so is sent out to clean the external sensors that act as cameras to the outside world. However, all the cleaners will die minutes later as they succumb to the toxic gases outside. Jules, played by Rebecca Ferguson is a determined, responsible and stubborn engineer who is recruited to be the sheriff of The Silo. She begins to investigate what drove the former sheriff Holston and his wife to volunteer to clean outside and soon finds herself assigned to the same fate… 

Juliette, aka Jules, must battle to survive in Silo.

Juliette unearths secrets in Silo. (Image credit: Apple TV+)

Silo cast — Rebecca Ferguson on playing Juliette

Rebecca Ferguson, who plays engineer Juliette, says: "It’s set in a world where thousands of people live across hundreds of storeys connected by a giant spiral staircase. The atmosphere outside is toxic, but we don’t know why or what’s happened. Juliette has to step outside the environment she feels comfortable in, and start facing another reality and something bigger than herself,’ says Mission Impossible’s Ferguson, 39. ‘What motivates her is anger and, as anyone who’s had therapy will know, anger is basically fear."

Juliette is first seen in the lower levels – known as the ‘down-deep’ – where she’s busy fixing a giant furnace. But Rebecca Ferguson admits that, although her character can repair pretty much anything, that is not a skill she shares. "I am completely inept, and can’t even thread a needle. So it’s become a bit of a family joke about how inappropriately I’ve been cast."

Swedish actress Rebecca Ferguson is perhaps best known for her role as Ilsa Faust in the Mission: Impossible movies. She also played Lady Jessica Atreides in the sci-fi movie Dune in 2021. She appears in The Greatest Showman as Jenny Lind and has also starred in Doctor Sleep, Men in Black: International, The Girl on the Train and the TV miniseries The White Queen, playing Queen Elizabeth. 

Silo on Apple TV+ sees Rebecca Ferguson plays engineer Juliette.

Juliette, aka Jules, must battle to survive in Silo. (Image credit: Apple TV+)

Rebecca Ferguson in BBC drama The White Queen.

Rebecca Ferguson in BBC1 drama The White Queen. (Image credit: BBC)

Silo cast — Tim Robbins as Bernard

Tim Robbins is playing Bernard, the power-hungry head of IT. Tim became Hollywood royalty after playing Andy Dufresne in the 1994 blockbuster The Shawshank Redemption. He went on to star in Mystic River, High Fidelity and the 2005 adaptation of War of the Worlds, playing Harlan Ogilvy. He’s also appeared in the TV series Castle Rock, Here and Now and The Spoils of Babylon. He's married to actress Susan Sarandon.

Tim Robbins as Bernard in Silo.

Tim Robbins as Bernard in Silo. (Image credit: Apple TV+)

Tim Robbins in 'The Shawhshank Redemption'.

Tim Robbins in hit movie The Shawhshank Redemption. (Image credit: Warner Brothers)

Silo cast — David Oyelowo as the sheriff Holston

David Oyelowo takes on the role of the Silo’s Sheriff, who is desperate to discover why his wife voluntarily cleaned the external sensors and died doing so. David portrayed Martin Luther King in the 2014 movie Selma and starred in the TV series Les Miserables playing Javert. He’s also appeared in Spooks, Small Island, Star Wars: Rebels and appeared in the BBC1 drama The Girl Before.  

Silo.

David Oyelowo as Holston, with Juliette. (Image credit: Apple TV+)

David as Edward in BBC1 drama The Girl Before.

David Oyelowo as architect Edward in BBC1 drama The Girl Before. (Image credit: BBC)

Harriet Walter on playing Martha

Harriet Walter (Rocketman, Killing Eve and Succession) plays Martha, who is Juliette’s friend and confidante Martha, whose skill in repairing things is highly valued in this hierarchical society where resources are scarce.

"There’s the judicial rank at the top, who run the silo,’ explains Harriet Walter. ‘And at the bottom are the mechanical people, without whom the whole place would collapse. Martha deals with the world by locking herself away where she can be useful, but also safe. She’s like Juliette in a way, but realises she’ll never be as brilliant or brave."

In Martha’s workplace, old technology is repaired and repurposed – which helps give the show its distinctive, retro-futuristic look. "If you put people underground, your priorities would be how to keep things for as long as possible,’ explains Walter. ‘So, for example, all the characters’ clothes in the show are patched and recycled. I really think the series is going to start a 'Silo chic' fashion trend!"

Who else is starring in Silo?

Silo will also star comedian and actress Rashida Jones as Alison. She previously starred in The Social Network and Parks and Recreation. The rapper Common is also starring. The Walking Dead star Avi Nash plays IT expert Lukas. 

Rashida Jones plays Allison in Silo.

Rashida Jones plays Allison in Silo. (Image credit: apple TV+)

The cast of Silo at the recent premiere in London.

The cast of Silo at the recent premiere in London. (Image credit: Apple TV+)

All about Wool and the Silo novels by Hugh Howey

The science fiction novel Wool is he first in the Silo trilogy of book. It was originally self-published as an e-book in 2011 by author Hugh Howey. It features illustrations that depict the post-apocalyptic world in which it is set. It became such a hit that it was eventually licensed by Simon and Schuster and became a bestseller. 

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Nicholas Cannon
TV Content Director on TV Times, What's On TV and TV & Satellite Week

I'm a huge fan of television so I really have found the perfect job, as I've been writing about TV shows, films and interviewing major television, film and sports stars for over 25 years. I'm currently TV Content Director on What's On TV, TV Times, TV and Satellite Week magazines plus Whattowatch.com. I previously worked on Woman and Woman's Own in the 1990s. Outside of work I swim every morning, support Charlton Athletic football club and get nostalgic about TV shows Cagney & Lacey, I Claudius, Dallas and Tenko. I'm totally on top of everything good coming up too.

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