Is there any director other than Christopher Nolan that could have every news site jumping to report on a teaser that only played in theaters? Probably not. Ain’t nobody say shit about that trailer for The Hunt that was theatrical-only a couple weeks ago. But there’s so much anticipation for Nolan’s next film, Tenet, that today has been abuzz with reports and, well, cheap bootlegs of the teaser footage which premiered ahead of Hobbs & Shaw in some markets.
Sof if you were one of many who checked out Hobbs & Shaw last night or this morning, you might’ve been treated to a surprise teaser for Tenet, which has been described as an international espionage film. I wasn’t at any of the places showing it, so I’ll turn it over to the description provided by THR…
The roughly minute-long first look at Tenet opens on a bullet hole that’s punched through some glass. Behind the glass stands John David Washington’s character. The teaser slam cuts to the words, “Time has come for a new protagonist.” Washington’s character walks up to examine the glass. The camera tracks him as he moves to the side, revealing more cracks in the glass. This visual echoes Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) surveying bullet ballistics in Nolan’s 2008 film The Dark Knight. The teaser then slam cuts to the words, “Time has come for a new kind of mission.” Then, it reenters on people dressed as swat team members, or perhaps members kind of special operative unit. Quick cuts of Washington in action flash, before the teaser holds on a shot of Washington, with an oxygen mask over his mouth as he slowly breathes. Beneath the trailer is a pulsing, almost wobbling score, with the bass particularly powerful. Tenet composer Ludwig Goransson is notable for bass in his Creed and Black Panther scores.
Alongside Washington in the cast are Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Kenneth Branagh, Clémence Poésy, Dimple Kapadia, and, Michael Caine. Judging by this, Washington seems to be the key figure, while the frequent references to “time” suggest maybe a time travel spy flick?
Hopefully this teaser arrives online soon, or you can scout the Internet for a cheap bootleg version. Tenet hits theaters on July 17th 2020.
