Josh Hartnett Battles Giant Squid In Netflix Series Below

Netflix limited series Below drops Josh Hartnett into a remote Newfoundland coastal community facing a giant squid, local resettlement votes, and escalating chaos. Created by Jesse McKeown and streaming now, the six-episode thriller blends creature-feature horror with the economic realities of rural maritime decline.

Josh Hartnett Stars as a Widowed Ice Harvester in Snook’s Arm

Netflix’s latest maritime entry introduces viewers to Calvin Penney, a widower and ice harvester living in the fictionalized Newfoundland community of Snook’s Arm. Hartnett takes on the lead role with a thick local accent developed by listening to archival radio broadcasts, anchoring a town currently holding a referendum on whether residents should voluntarily abandon their homes.

The series opens with a stark flashback to 1986, when nine-year-old Calvin and his parents moved by towing their house across a misty bay on a motorboat. That opening scene recreates the haunting imagery of Newfoundland outport resettlements. In the present day, Calvin digs his heels in against a government-backed resettlement program while local waters turn deadly.

Josh Hartnett Battles Giant Squid In Netflix Series Below — Photo: The Guardian

His entire life is situated in the area alongside his son Wade, played by Charlie Heaton, his sister Ruth who works as the harbor master, and other visiting family members who return for the local tradition called Come Home Year. The cast features Mackenzie Davis as researcher Fonda Howander and David Wenham as a climate change activist, alongside an extensive ensemble including Ruby Stokes as Mary, Rohan Campbell as Jay, and Lord of the Rings star David Wenham.

Josh Hartnett anchors the production alongside an experienced cast bringing those details to life. Those performers include Charlie Heaton fresh off Stranger Things, Rohan Campbell from Halloween Ends and Virgin River, Ruby Stokes from Jay Kelly, and Lord of the Rings star David Wenham. The project marks another unexpected entry for Hartnett following work in Black Mirror, Oppenheimer, Trap, and Verity, with the actor noting that his early fame changed significantly upon the release of Pearl Harbor.

“Below,”

Massive Iceberg Brings Chaos to Fishing Community

Chaos descends on the town during a Come Home celebration meant to draw back former residents. Calvin’s adult children return for the week, including Mary and Jay, alongside his self-medicating son Wade, played by Charlie Heaton. When a massive, ammonia-stinking iceberg materializes in the harbor, it brings terrifying consequences for the local fishing community.

Dr. Fonda Howander, a researcher from the Ocean Science Centre down in Seal Cove played by Mackenzie Davis, inspects the anomaly alongside Calvin after a local brewery rejects an ice haul due to its foul stench. As marine samples and odd wildlife occurrences pile up, the mystery behind the water takes shape.

Josh Hartnett as Calvin — 'Below' — Photo: TV Insider

“It’s not an iceberg. It is, in fact, one big frozen mucous membrane!”

Dr Fonda Howander, Ocean Science Centre

Beneath the monster horror, the town faces another threat: the wealthy Crocker family, whose plans involve forcing residents to resettle so they can mine cobalt and copper deposits underneath Snook’s Arm.

Behind the Scenes of the Newfoundland Production

Filmed entirely on location in Newfoundland, the six-episode series was created by Jesse McKeown, who worked with local artists cast as extras to ground the dialect. Producer Jessica Rhoades estimated the series splits its focus heavily between science fact and creature-feature tropes, though McKeown placed the scientific basis even higher.

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The production drew early comparisons to Apple TV+’s Widow’s Bay, an association McKeown admitted caught him off guard before wrap, though he and his team maintained that their story maintains a distinct identity rooted in Canadian kitchen-sink drama traditions. Executive producer Jessica Rhoades previously collaborated with Hartnett on the Black Mirror episode Beyond the Sea, while creator Jesse McKeown conceived the maritime thriller.

Unresolved Mysteries and the Question of Season 2

In the series finale, Calvin, Fonda, and the Penney family manage to lure the giant cephalopod away by towing its iceberg nest out of the bay while exposing the Crocker family’s mining scheme. The narrative then flashes forward a year to 2027, showing a community that understands the value of its land and expects higher payouts from ongoing settlement votes.

Toronto, Ontario, Canada, September 11, 2026: Charlie Heaton and Josh Hartnett from the series on Netflix "Below," in the — Photo: Los Angeles Times

However, the final moments leave the door wide open. Calvin and Wade discover more icebergs drifting into the local waters, suggesting new squid nests or surviving offspring adapted to warmer ocean temperatures. While Netflix initially billed Below as a limited series with a complete story, executive producers McKeown and Jessica Rhoades designed the final frames to feel intentionally messy and real-life rather than tied up in a neat bow.

Netflix has not yet renewed Below for a second season, leaving the future of Snook’s Arm and its aquatic visitors dependent on audience response and streaming numbers.