Ever since watching the heart-pounding teaser for upcoming true crime series Under The Banner Of Heaven, we’ve been waiting a little impatiently to see the full-length trailer and know when it’s coming to Disney+. After all, when you adapt an unforgettable bestseller and put Andrew Garfield and Daisy Edgar-Jones in the lead roles, you know you’re in for a truly compelling watch.

It seems as though the streaming gods have heard our prayers, though, because the official trailer for the show promises a sinister ride but also, we finally have a confirmed UK release date.

In the trailer, we see Utah Detective Jeb Pyre (Garfield) as he surveys a horrifying crime scene where children’s toys sit in the midst of pools of blood. At a press briefing later on, Pyre relays the shocking news that the bodies discovered at the scene were those of Brenda Wright Lafferty (Edgar-Jones) and her 15-month old baby daughter.

It quickly emerges that the murder is the result of some very dark and complicated goings-on. Pyre, himself a devout Mormon, suspects that the violence is linked to the surrounding community and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which is the largest religious denomination in the state of Utah. The evidence, he says, points to “things and beliefs that I have only ever heard whisperings about.”

We also get a glimpse into Wright Lafferty’s chilling story. “From the first moment anyone set eyes on her,” a man recalls in an interview, “they were hooked.” Wright Lafferty can also be seen confiding in someone that there is an “evil presence” at hand, while Pyre speculates that the murder isn’t simply an isolated case of a husband turning against his wife, but the result of dangerous, deep-rooted problems in the religious community.

But that’s not all. That’s right, people, we finally have a release date for the anticipated series. Having already aired in the US via Hulu, we’ve been eagerly awaiting the news of when it would make its way to our shores and it seems as though we don’t have very long to wait at all: Under The Banner Of Heaven will be available to stream on Disney+ on 27 July.

Earlier in March, Disney+ already confirmed that the anticipated series will be making its way to the platform under the Star banner for the UK and Ireland. The true crime drama sees Andrew Garfield take his first small-screen role as Detective Jeb Pyre, who will “investigate events that transpired within the Lafferty family”, according to the official synopsis. 

It continues: “He uncovers buried truths about the origins of the LDS religion and the violent consequences of unyielding faith. What Pyre, a devout Mormon, unearths leads him to question his own faith.”

Also starring in the upcoming drama is, as previously mentioned, Daisy Edgar-Jones. She wowed us as Marianne in the BBC’s Normal People and more recently, as Noa in dating horror film Fresh. But now Jones is gearing up to dazzle us with her acting talents once again in another adaptation – albeit one with a very different tone and vibe to that of Sally Rooney’s bestselling millennial romance.

Under The Banner Of Heaven is based on Jon Krakauer’s non-fiction novel of the same name. It’s a tale of murder, the Mormon church and government distrust but if the trailer is anything to go by, it’s also seriously creepy.

What’s the plot of Under The Banner Of Heaven?

As previously mentioned, the series is based on the bestselling novel of the same name and is set to explore the brutal 1984 murders of Brenda Lafferty and her 15-month-old daughter, Erica. 

As per The Salt Lake Tribune, it was later revealed that Brenda’s brothers-in-law – Ron Lafferty, a self-professed prophet, and Dan Lafferty – had killed her because, as a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she disagreed with their fundamentalist views and refused to accept that Ron was a prophet.

The case gained substantial publicity at the time due to the murderers’ claims that the killings were the result of a “divine revelation” – or, in other words, that their God had instructed them to commit murder.

“Brothers Ron and Dan Lafferty insist they were commanded to kill [their sister-in-law Brenda] by God [in this] meticulously researched, bone-chilling narrative of polygamy, savage violence and unyielding faith,” explains the book’s synopsis.

Much like the novel, the TV series aims to offer audiences “an incisive look inside isolated Mormon Fundamentalist communities in America,” following a devout detective whose faith is tested as he investigates the savagery surrounding Brenda’s death.

Who stars in Under The Banner Of Heaven?

Edgar-Jones stars as Brenda Lafferty, the young faithful whose brutal murder seems to be connected to an esteemed Utah family’s spiral into LDS fundamentalism and their distrust in the government.

Garfield, meanwhile, will play committed detective and LDS elder Pyre, who begins to question some of the church’s teachings through his contact with a suspected murderer.

Also joining the cast will be Sam Worthington (Avatar), Denise Gough (Too Close), Wyatt Russell (The Woman In The Window) and Billy Howle (Chloe).

Gil Birmingham (Yellowstone), Adelaide Clemens (Parade’s End), Rory Culkin (Scream 4), Seth Numrich (Gravity), Chloe Pirrie (The Queen’s Gambit), Sandra Seacat (In The Spirit) and Christopher Heyerdahl (Van Helsing) complete the cast.

What are people saying about Under The Banner Of Heaven?

Academy Award-winner Dustin Lance Black is signed on to executive produce the series, and has been trying to get this story into production for over a decade.

Speaking to Deadline about the project, he says: “After so many years of work, I’m incredibly grateful to Imagine and FX for their patience with and commitment to bringing this story to screen.

“Raised in the LDS faith, my hope is that this true-crime thriller might shed light on the horrific brutalities perpetrated in the name of God in our own backyards.”

Gina Balian, president of originals at FX, adds: “Dustin Lance Black is a gifted storyteller and the perfect artist to adapt Jon Krakauer’s gripping novel for FX.

“Lance joins an incredible creative team led by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard at Imagine Television who have been passionate about telling this story with him for years. We are thrilled that David Mackenzie has come aboard as a director and to have Andrew Garfield and Daisy Edgar-Jones star in Under The Banner Of Heaven.”

Author Krakauer, meanwhile, has described the announcement as an “interesting development” in the 10-year long battle to bring his book to the screen.

“Looking forward to seeing it,” he added in his Instagram post, which can be seen above.

When and where can we watch Under The Banner Of Heaven?

Under The Banner Of Heaven will be available to stream on Disney+ on 27 July. Let the countdown begin …

Image: Disney+