Vince Gilligan marks his foray into the world of sci-fi with Apple TV’s new series Pluribus. The show has already broken the streamer’s viewing records, surpassing even the hit Severance, and its intriguing concept continues to excite viewers as the plot unfolds.
Sure, Gilligan is best known for his crime dramas Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, but to give fans insight into his shift to sci-fi, he shared the 10 films that shaped Pluribus straight from his Letterboxd account, where users rate and review movies.
After Life (1998)
A 1998 Japanese film, After Life is a contemplative story in which the dead must choose a single memory to carry with them into the afterlife.
Exploring themes of memory, identity, and the true meaning of living, it offers emotional and philosophical cues that resonate with Pluribus.
“In Pluribus, our ‘Joined’ characters all get to share each other’s blissful memories... so it’s easy to see how After Life influenced me on some level,” Gilligan explained.
Streaming Platforms: BFI Player
Defending Your Life (1991)
This 1991 romantic comedy-fantasy film, Defending Your Life, follows a man who undergoes a trial in the afterlife, where the proceedings examine his fears and life choices to determine whether he will be reincarnated to Earth or allowed to move on to the next phase of existence.
With Albert Brooks, who also wrote and directed the film, and Meryl Streep in the lead, it features comedic overtones that blend with elements of drama and allegory.
Just like the film, Pluribus explores similar moral questions: if happiness is imposed, or consciousness is manipulated, does free will or moral agency remain?
“I know I took inspiration from the concept that, whether in heaven or utopia, the bacon and eggs they’d cook for you would be the best ever,” Gilligan said.
Streaming Platforms: Amazon Prime, Apple TV
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a 1956 sci-fi horror film about an alien invasion in which large seed pods produce visually identical copies of humans. These duplicates retain the physical traits, memories, and personalities of the people placed near them as they sleep – except they lack genuine human emotion.
The film introduced the slang term “pod people,” referring to emotionless duplicates who have no individuality or humanity.
This idea can be directly seen in Pluribus, particularly through its “hive-mind” themes and mass-assimilation horror, where an alien virus appears to rewrite humanity into something uniform and idyllic, yet ultimately soulless.
“This movie prompted me to take the trope of soul-snatching and turn it on its head,” Gilligan revealed.
Streaming Platforms: Prime Video
The Omega Man (1971)
Based on Richard Matheson’s 1954 novel I Am Legend, The Omega Man stars Charlton Heston as a survivor of a global pandemic.
A quintessential “last man on Earth” story, its themes of isolation, survival, and humanity’s downfall resonate strongly with Pluribus’ exploration of the collapse of inner life and identity.
With Carol’s (Rhea Seehorn) “last man standing” experience, the 1971 film serves as a powerful metaphor for her struggle against a world transformed into a hive-mind.
“The Omega Man's ethos can be summed up like this: ‘Everyone around me has changed, and I've got to figure out how to change them back.’ That's Carol Sturka's philosophy, as well,” Gilligan described. “True, she doesn't have a bunch of vampires trying to kill her every time the sun goes down... but she does have to contend with her Sprouts Farmers Market being empty. “
Streaming Platforms: Amazon Prime, Apple TV
The Quiet Earth (1985)
Directed by Geoff Murphy and starring Bruno Lawrence, Alison Routledge, and Peter Smith, The Quiet Earth is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi film about three survivors of a cataclysmic disaster.
Loosely based on Craig Harrison’s 1981 novel of the same name, it depicts a mysteriously emptied Earth, evoking a haunting sense of solitude, existential dread, and the uncanny.
Sound familiar? The film captures the same feelings present in Pluribus: dread, emptiness, and the struggle to remain “human” in a profoundly changed world.
“I find the imagery in The Quiet Earth striking,” Gilligan elucidated. “Haunting, even. By all accounts, the movie was made on a shoestring, which impresses me all the more.”
Streaming Platforms: Tubi, Roku
The Shining (1980)
You might be surprised to see The Shining on Gilligan’s list, but this classic psychological horror film, produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, features Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance, a character trapped in a world that should be safe but is instead profoundly hostile and twisted.
It shares Pluribus’ eerie atmosphere, with a visceral sense of dread and creeping unease that fills the Apple TV series. A normal home, a regular community – until the horror beneath the surface reveals itself.
“And yes – we borrowed the image of those creepy neighbor kids from Kubrick’s even creepier twin girls, “Gilligan disclosed. “Bonus trivia: the axe the Salamanca Cousins carry in Breaking Bad is inspired by The Shining, as well.”
Streaming Platforms: Amazon Prime, Apple TV
The Thing (1982)
Based on John W. Campbell Jr.’s 1938 novella Who Goes There?, The Thing is a sci-fi horror film about a group of American researchers in Antarctica who encounter an alien called the “Thing,” which assimilates and imitates other organisms.
The film generates intense paranoia, as everyone fears that one of them could be the Thing, eroding trust among the group.
John Carpenter’s remake is a masterclass in depicting isolation and shape-shifting alien assimilation – the same themes Pluribus explores, with its creeping dread and mistrust, where even friends and neighbors might be “converted.”
“Monsters hiding amongst us is a classic trope, one we play with in Pluribus. John Carpenter’s The Thing hones that to perfection,” Gilligan remarked.
Streaming Platforms: Amazon Prime, Apple TV
The Truman Show (1998)
Following the story of Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey), The Truman Show depicts a man whose entire life is broadcast as a reality TV show on a massive soundstage without his knowledge.
The film serves as a direct analogy to Pluribus, portraying a world engineered for happiness and conformity.
“Let’s count The Truman Show as an inspiration for Pluribus, because my entire writing staff loves it. They bring it up often, and their disappointment in me is palpable,” Gilligan unveiled.
Streaming Platforms: Paramount+, MGM+
They Live (1988)
Another film by John Carpenter, They Live is a satirical science fiction story about a drifter who discovers sunglasses that reveal aliens secretly controlling society.
While Pluribus does not feature aliens, it similarly explores a seemingly utopian reality, where behind the smiles and normalcy lies a deep, unsettling control over humanity’s minds.
“Pluribus owes a debt to this. Maybe The Matrix does, too,” Gilligan commented. “Once you understand that an occupying force is calling all the shots in your life, how can you go back to sleep?”
Streaming Platforms: The Criterion Channel
Village of the Damned (1960)
Adapted from John Wyndham’s 1957 novel The Midwich Cuckoos, Village of the Damned is a sci-fi horror classic about an inexplicable event that causes every living thing in a small English village to fall asleep.
When everyone awakens, a series of mysterious pregnancies leads to the birth of blonde-haired children with strange psychic powers that make life unbearable for the villagers.
According to Gilligan, this notion of uncanny sameness influenced part of the tone for Pluribus.
“It’s a great story. It often crossed my mind when I was writing the pilot of Pluribus and trying to hit all the time-honored tropes of the genre. The mass unconsciousness, the telepathy the kids all share, the synchrony of their movements...? Yeah, you’ll definitely hear echoes of Village Of The Damned in our show.”
Streaming Platforms: Amazon Prime, Apple TV
Remember: Pluribus drops new episodes weekly every Friday on Apple TV.
Keep it locked on EpicStream, your go-to source for film, TV, and celebrity news!