The newly released trailer for All Quiet on the Western Front brings the anti-war story of a young German soldier on the Western Front of World War I to Netflix. Released courtesy of the official Netflix YouTube channel, the footage reveals how the streaming platform will adapt the influential 1929 novel by Erich Maria Remarque, and remake the seminal 1930 film. You can check out the trailer for All Quiet on the Western Front below.

Told from the perspective of 17-year-old German soldier Paul Bäumer (Felix Kammerer), Berger’s film begins three years into World War I — then the most brutal and bloody conflict in human history. Bolstered by propaganda and dreams of glory, Paul and his friends leave school to join the army, confident in victory. But the reality of trench warfare is more like a nightmare as they are plagued with rain, mud and terrifying, constant death.

Experiencing first-hand how the initial euphoria of war can quickly turn into desperation and fear, Paul and his comrades find themselves fighting for their lives, and against each other, in the trenches.

Starring Felix Kammerer as Paul Bäumer, All Quiet on the Western Front features an ensemble cast that includes the likes of Daniel Brühl as Matthias Erzberger, Albrecht Schuch as Stanislaus "Kat" Katczinsky, Moritz Klaus as Frantz Müller, Aaron Hilmer as Albert Kropp, Edin Hasanovic as Tjaden Stackfleet, as well as Adrian Grünewald, Thibault de Montalembert, Devid Striesow, and Sebastian Hülk.

All Quiet on the Western Front Will Land on Netflix in October

all-quiet-western-front-trailer
Netflix

“It has been nearly a hundred years since Erich Maria Remarque’s raw account of life in the trenches first shocked the world,” an official description from Netflix reads. “Published in 1929, All Quiet on the Western Front was an instant bestseller, followed almost immediately by an epic Academy Award-winning Hollywood movie in 1930. Despite its enduring legacy, the literary classic had never been reimagined by a German director — until now.”

Thus, the upcoming Netflix adaptation will tell the powerful story from the perspective of a young German soldier and through the lens of a German director, Edward Berger — something which the production of the remake felt was very important.

“There’s a feeling that will be with us for our whole life: the feeling of the legacy of two wars,” director Edward Berger said. “Our view of war is dominated by sorrow and shame, by devastation and guilt. Nothing positive remains, not the tiniest spark of heroism. I found making our history, our background and our attitude to war the driving force behind a film a great challenge. And I thought that this very specific German perspective may well be of interest to people in other countries too. Especially at the moment.”

Written and directed by Edward Berger and based on the world-renowned bestseller of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque, this latest adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front is scheduled to debut at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 2022, before premiering on Netflix on October 28, 2022.