Chloe Zhao's forthcoming masterpiece, titled "Hamnet," has secured a prestigious release date amidst the peak awards season. Backed by Focus Features, this Shakespearean-era historical drama will make its limited theatrical debut on November 27th, gradually expanding its reach nationwide by December 12th. Coinciding with the release of Pixar's "Zootopia 2," "Hamnet" aims to stand as a captivating alternative when it broadens its horizons in mid-December, a week prior to the arrivals of James Cameron's "Avatar: Fire and Ash" and Paramount's "SpongeBob: Search for SquarePants."
Drawing inspiration from Maggie O'Farrell's 2020 novel, "Hamnet" weaves a fictional narrative around the tragic life of the Bard's young son, whose untimely demise sparked the creation of "Hamlet." Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley star as William Shakespeare and his devoted wife, Agnes, joined by Joe Alwyn as Bartholomew and Jacobi Jupe as the ill-fated Hamnet. Zhao and O'Farrell collaboratively penned the screenplay, based on a book that has sold an astonishing two million copies in the United States and United Kingdom, and has been translated into 40 languages.
Steven Spielberg and Sam Mendes are among the esteemed producers of "Hamnet," with Universal Pictures International handling its overseas distribution. Buckley will soon grace the screens in Maggie Gyllenhaal's "Frankenstein" sequel, "The Bride!," opposite Christian Bale. Mescal, currently starring in "A Streetcar Named Desire" off-Broadway, has been cast in Mendes' upcoming Beatles biopic, where he will portray Paul McCartney alongside Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr, and Harris Dickinson as John Lennon in this four-part cinematic epic.
Zhao, the second woman ever to win the Oscar for Best Director for her 2020 film "Nomadland," boasts an impressive filmography that includes Disney's "Eternals," "Songs My Brothers Taught Me," and "The Rider."
