First Trailer for Hamnet Starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, the first trailer for Hamnet, directed by Oscar winner Chloé Zhao (Nomadland), has been released ahead of its Toronto International Film Festival premiere. The film stars Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley in a bittersweet tale of love and loss.
Written by Zhao and based on the 2020 novel by Maggie O’Farrell—which won the Women’s Prize for Fiction and the National Book Critics Circle Award—Hamnet tells the story of Agnes, wife of the world’s most famous playwright, William Shakespeare, as she mourns the death of their only son, Hamnet. O’Farrell’s novel explores the emotional and familial complexities of this loss, offering a deeply human and tragic glimpse into the inspiration behind Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
Set in 1580s England during the outbreak of the Black Plague, the story follows a young Latin tutor who falls in love with the mysterious Agnes, a fiercely independent woman known for her unusual gift of healing. Once married, she becomes both a nurturing mother and an unwavering force in her husband’s life—until their son’s sudden illness alters his course in the London theatre world.
The cast also features Joe Alwyn, Emily Watson, Jack Shalloo, David Wilmot, and Jacobi Jupe. The project was originally set to be directed by Sam Mendes, who later exited and is now working on four separate films about The Beatles.
Hamnet will open in limited release on November 27 before expanding nationwide on December 12.
