What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedThe Passenger
Cormac McCarthy · Book · 2022
If you loved The Passenger, start with The Passenger (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1975) — a film from the same story. Below: 4 films, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to The Passenger across media.
What hooked you in The Passenger is the way profound existential dread and haunting personal loss bleed into vast, dangerous conspiracies.
Start with the source
The source
The Passenger
Michelangelo Antonioni · Film · 1975
Films on the same thread
The Life of Chuck
Mike Flanagan · Film · 2025
Shares a thread with The Passenger: Mortality.
Like The Passenger, this story balances the weight of human mortality against the mystery of our existence, exploring how ordinary lives are shaped by the profound heartbreak of loss.
The Batman
Matt Reeves · Film · 2022
Explores: Corruption, Vigilantism, Moral Decay.
You will recognize the brooding, atmospheric obsession found in The Passenger here, where a solitary figure navigates a dark, corrupt world while unearthing secrets that threaten his own identity.
The Road
Film · 2009
Explores: Paternal bond, Survival, Desolation.
This adaptation shares the bleak, sparse prose and crushing sense of desolation present in The Passenger, focusing on the raw struggle to survive while confronting the fragility of life.
Avatar: The Way of Water
James Cameron · Film · 2022
Explores: Environmentalism, Colonialism, Family Loyalty.
Much like the protagonist of The Passenger, the characters here are defined by their deep connection to the water and the relentless, often dangerous, pursuit of safety for their family.
Series on the same thread
Dexter: Resurrection
Clyde Phillips · Series · 2025
Explores: Father-Son Relationship, Redemption, Past Sins.
The Passenger explores the haunting nature of past sins, a theme central to this story as a man attempts to reconcile with the consequences of his actions and find redemption.
The Pacific
Bruce C. McKenna · Series · 2010
Explores: Pacific Theater, Marine Corps, Brutality of War.
This series captures the brutal, unvarnished reality of survival in the face of overwhelming odds, mirroring the grit and existential weight that define the narrative journey of The Passenger.
The Last of Us
Neil Druckmann · Series · 2023
Shares 2 threads with The Passenger: Grief, Loss.
Both The Passenger and this story highlight the bond between individuals navigating a broken world, emphasizing how grief and moral ambiguity shape the path of those trying to move forward.
Reacher
Nick Santora · Series · 2022
Shares a thread with The Passenger: Conspiracy.
The conspiracy-driven tension that pulls the protagonist of The Passenger into a dangerous world is echoed here, as a lone investigator navigates a web of secrets and systemic corruption.
Podcasts on the same thread
Passenger List
Passenger List and Radiotopia · Podcast · 2025
The mystery surrounding a vanishing event mirrors the unsettling, unexplained conspiracy that haunts the protagonist of The Passenger, driving a desperate search for truth amidst a sea of unknowns.
Dan Carlin's Hardcore History
Dan Carlin · Podcast · 2025
Explores: civilizational collapse, human nature, moral ambiguity.
If you appreciated the philosophical inquiry into human nature and civilizational collapse in The Passenger, this analysis offers a similarly unflinching look at the dark currents of our history.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy part of a series?
Yes, The Passenger is the first of a two-volume masterpiece by Cormac McCarthy. It serves as the opening installment of The Passenger series, which concludes with a subsequent volume written by the author.
How does the 1975 movie The Passenger relate to the 2022 book?
The 1975 movie The Passenger and the 2022 book The Passenger are distinct works. The book is a novel by Cormac McCarthy about a salvage diver, while the film is a separate cinematic production sharing the same title.
What is the primary plot of The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy?
The Passenger follows a salvage diver who is haunted by loss and afraid of the deep ocean. He finds himself pursued for a conspiracy he does not understand while struggling with a longing for death that he cannot reconcile with his faith in God.
Should I read The Passenger if I enjoy books about conspiracies?
Yes, The Passenger is a suitable choice for readers who enjoy conspiracy-driven narratives. The story centers on a protagonist caught in a conspiracy beyond his understanding, blended with themes of loss and existential dread typical of Cormac McCarthy's writing style.