HBO really wants you to watch Gunpowder and we’re not complaining

Look, Gunpowder coming to HBO has been exciting since it was announced, and now the American trailer promises it really is going to be that dramatic.

The general Culturess enthusiasm for Gunpowder … okay, my enthusiasm for Gunpowder … is based almost entirely in the fact that it is Kit Harington in exactly the kind of ridiculous, overblown period piece that may or may not actually be quality, but you’re going to watch anyway because what else are you going to watch in the middle of December when TV freezes over and becomes a wasteland?

So, when Nerdist alerted me to the fact that HBO now has a trailer for its airing, well, naturally, I had to tune in.

Funnily enough, it’s a lot different than the British advertisements for the series (where it’s already aired in its complete form). To start, here’s the American version:

Here’s what we get in this version of the trailer: setting establishment, quick motivation, really loud music, and lots of dramatic, slow shots, including Liv Tyler. Oh, and a slow shot of Kit Harington’s Robert Catesby looking … pensive or something … in the sunlight.

Now, in all fairness, the British version of the trailer had some similar shots, including one of Guy Fawkes where he looks up at the camera, but the music is otherwise entirely different:

HBO’s version also seems to have another part of the scene where Tyler’s character says “What you intend is murder” in the BBC trailer — so in that, they’re similar in that they’re setting her up as the voice of reason, trying to talk Catesby out of his intentions.

But HBO’s version also does more in establishing who’s on what side and what they’re going to do, even if there are fewer names, and showing more of what exactly has caused this all to happen. That’s a product of having more time, but it’s also a product of making sure the American audience knows why they want to watch.

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And oh, HBO wants us to watch this. Hence the trailer a month early. Expect more as we get closer to the airdate.