10 Movies That Inspired Vince Gilligan's Pluribus: A Lett...

10 Movies That Inspired Pluribus (According To Vince Gilligan’s Letterboxd) Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn) looking dour in Pluribus

Photo: Apple TV via MovieStillsDB.

By Arielle Port Published 3 minutes ago Arielle Port started as a TV producer, developing content for Netflix (Firefly Lane, Brazen) and Hallmark (The Santa Stakeout, A Christmas Treasure) before transitioning into entertainment journalism. Her love of story went from interest to lifelong passion while at The University of Pennsylvania, where she fell in with a student-run web series, Classless TV, and it was a gateway drug. Arielle Port has been a Writer for Screen Rant since August 2024. She lives in Los Angeles with her boyfriend and more importantly, her cat, Boseman. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

Pluribus is Vince Gilligan’s exciting foray into sci-fi, after building a reputation in prestige crime drama with Breaking Bad and its spin-off Better Call Saul. Pluribus shattered streaming records for Apple TV, surpassing Severance’s viewership numbers. Because Pluribus is an entirely original sci-fi concept, a big part of the appeal is speculating about what direction the story is going.

While some viewers felt the series dragged narratively after an exciting two-part premiere directed by Gilligan, Pluribus episode 5 proved the doubters wrong about the potential to introduce exciting plot developments. While it’s impossible to say definitively what Carol will do next, Gilligan just dropped a fascinating look at the movies that inspired Pluribus.

Gilligan posted a list of 10 movies, including his thoughts on how each selection speaks to an aspect of his Apple TV show, on Letterboxd, the popular site where users rate and review movies. From some of the most iconic horror movies of all time to cult classics to international cinema, these 10 movies inspired the Pluribus writers' room.

After Life

Directed By Hirokazu Kore-eda (1998)

After Life (1998) is one of the two films on Gilligan’s list he openly admits he hasn’t seen, yet its influence still lingers over Pluribus. Gilligan has long been captivated by its premise: the newly dead must choose a single memory to carry into eternity, then work with a gentle, bureaucratic guide to recreate it before moving on.

Even without firsthand viewing, the film’s central idea — memory as identity, distilled to its purest form — resonates with the world of Pluribus. Pluribus’ "Joined" characters share every memory they’ve ever had, functioning as the opposite of After Life’s selective preservation. That contrast, Gilligan suggests, quietly shapes the emotional DNA of the series.

Defending Your Life

Directed by Albert Brooks (1991)

Albert Brooks and Meryl Streep in Defending Your Life (1991)

Defending Your Life, written and directed by and starring Albert Brooks, is a quintessential Brooks dramedy about the afterlife and the fear-based obstacles that keep people from moving on. Brooks plays a grumpy, anxious outsider surrounded by happier, more confident people, a dynamic Gilligan sees reflected in Carol Sturka, whom he calls a “kindred spirit.”

The film’s vision of a gentle, food-filled utopia also fed directly into Pluribus. Gilligan loved the idea that any true heaven would have comforting meals, and that detail became part of the show’s worldbuilding. In Pluribus, the Joined often cook the non-Joined’s favorite dishes from memory, a cruel inversion of the coziness of Brooks's movie.

Invasion Of The Body Snatchers

Directed By Don Siegel (1956)

Kevin McCarthy and Dana Wynter in Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Though the 1978 remake is often hailed as the definitive Invasion of the Body Snatchers movie, Gilligan points to the 1956 original as the “granddaddy of them all.” The film sparked him to reconsider the soul-stealing trope, asking whether surrendering individuality to a collective might not be purely evil, and whether there could be reasons to embrace it.

This line of thinking clearly influenced the friendly hive mind of the Joined in Pluribus, who share memories and experiences rather than imposing harm. By reframing the concept from sinister invasion to communal connection, the original movie planted a seed for Gilligan to explore how collective consciousness could be both fascinating and empathetic in his own story world.

The Omega Man

Directed By Boris Sagal (1971)

The Omega Man Charlton Heston

Richard Matheson’s novel I Am Legend has inspired multiple film adaptations, the most famous being Will Smith’s 2007 version. Yet Gilligan points to Vincent Price's The Omega Man as the “purest,” since Matheson co-wrote the script.

The line Gilligan highlights: “Everyone around me has changed, and I've got to figure out how to change them back,” resonates directly with Carol’s immediate reaction to the Joined in Pluribus. She appears to be the only one of the 12 un-Joined, confronting a collective whose intentions are not yet fully revealed.

So far, the Joined are far less overtly threatening than the vampires Charlton Heston faced. However, the full scope of the Joined’s plan is just beginning to be revealed.

The Quiet Earth

Directed By Geoff Murphy (1985)

New Zealand film The Quiet Earth is a forgotten masterpiece, introduced to Gilligan by Gordon Smith, the writers’ room’s “resident foreign film expert.” The story follows three people who wake up to find themselves seemingly the last humans on Earth after a mysterious event. Gilligan was particularly struck by the film’s haunting imagery and its exploration of isolation and existential unease.

That influence carries to Gilligan's show: while Carol is not physically alone (at least until Pluribus episode 5), she experiences a profound sense of solitude as one of the few un-Joined, and the only one working toward undoing it. The film’s meditation on loneliness and the psychological weight of being a survivor for unknown reasons subtly echoes throughout her journey.

The Shining

Directed By Stanley Kubrick (1980)

Jack Nicholson as Jack in the ice maze in The ShiningImage from the Everett Collection.

The Shining is such a cornerstone of horror cinema that it’s nearly impossible to find a film or show with suspenseful or unsettling tones that doesn’t nod to it. Gilligan includes a clear homage in Pluribus: the creepy neighbor kids who greet Carol in the premiere echo Kubrick’s iconic twin girls in The Shining.

In subtler ways, Carol draws from Jack Torrance: an alcoholic writer in isolation, a volatile mix that shapes her psyche. Gilligan notes that Jack Nicholson’s portrayal shows him as unstable from the start, leaving little arc. However, Gilligan does a similar thing with Carol in the flashbacks, as she was depressed before, even on vacation with her partner.

The Thing

Directed By John Carpenter (1982)

The Thing 1982 MacReady looking at the sky

Monsters hidden among humans, invisible to the naked eye, are a classic horror trope, and Gilligan credits John Carpenter's The Thing with a perfect ending. The 1982 film’s tense paranoia, practical effects, and creeping sense of mistrust inspired him to explore similar questions in Pluribus.

The show examines what truly makes someone human: is it merely physical form, or something deeper, like free will and individuality? The Joined and un-Joined in Pluribus blur the lines between self and collective. Gilligan uses this tension to probe identity, trust, and autonomy, transforming a familiar horror motif into a thought-provoking meditation on consciousness and human connection.

The Truman Show

Directed By Peter Weir (1998)

Jim Carrey as Truman Burbank climbing the stairs in The Truman show

Gilligan sheepishly admits he has not seen Jim Carrey's classic, but the film’s details are so iconic that he knows them well, including The Truman Show's famous ending. Truman lives in a cheerful, idyllic world, yet he has no real agency, a concept that mirrors the lives of the Joined in Pluribus.

Carol appears to be the only one concerned with individuality and free will. Even if Gilligan hasn’t watched The Truman Show, the writing staff are fans, and its themes clearly influenced the show. The central question — whether a perfectly happy utopia is worth sacrificing autonomy — resonates throughout Pluribus, shaping its exploration of choice, identity, and connection.

They Live

Directed By John Carpenter (1988)

Two aliens linking arms in They Live

John Carpenter's comic-book-inspired '80s film They Live follows a drifter who discovers sunglasses that reveal aliens secretly controlling society. In Pluribus, Carol is painfully aware of the Joined, as the invasion is overt rather than secret. Still, the tension of being one of the few resisting a dominant collective echoes the struggle in They Live.

Gilligan calls this a “debt” the show owes to the film. Carol’s frustration stems from her isolation as seemingly the only un-Joined who wants to preserve individuality and perhaps even undo what has happened. This dynamic of lone resistance against an overwhelming force drives much of the Apple TV show’s psychological and moral tension.

Village Of The Damned

Directed By Wolf Rilla (1960)

In Village of the Damned (which got a John Carpenter remake), a mysterious sleep overtakes a small English village, resulting in the birth of blonde-haired children with strange psychic powers. Gilligan says he thought about this film often while writing the Pluribus pilot. Themes of mass unconsciousness, telepathy, and synchronized behavior directly influenced the show.

These elements shaped the conception of the Joined, beings who appear human but are fundamentally alien in nature, whose collective mind and shared experiences mirror the unsettling otherness of the children. The film’s blend of uncanny familiarity and hidden menace provided a blueprint for exploring identity, individuality, and the tension between self and collective in Pluribus.

Source: Letterboxd

23 8.6/10

8/10

Pluribus

10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed TV-MA Drama Thriller Sci-Fi Release Date November 6, 2025 Network Apple TV Directors Adam Bernstein, Zetna Fuentes, Melissa Bernstein Writers Ariel Levine

7 Images

Rhea Seehorn staring into the distance in Pluribus

Rhea Seehorn's Carol holding a doctor by their arms looking worried in an ER lobby in Pluribus

Rhea Seehorn's Carol looking seriously over her shoulder in Pluribus

Rhea Seehorn in PluribusApple Rhea Seehorn gazes out through a pick-up truck window in a scene from Pluribus.

Rhea Seehorn in Pluribus©Apple TV+ / Courtesy Everett Collection

Rhea Seehorn's Carol looking distracted and Karolina Wydra's Zosia smiling at someone in Pluribus

Rhea Seehorn curled up on the couch in PluribusClose

Cast

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Rhea Seehorn Carol Sturka
Karolina Wydra Zosia

Genres Drama, Thriller, Sci-Fi Creator(s) Vince Gilligan Powered by

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Pluribus

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