Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao’s next film, the Shakespearean drama Hamnet, has been given a prime awards season slot by Focus Features. And for good reason, because at the Academy Awards Zhao’s film Nomadland took Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress. There’s anticipation that her new drama could replicate that success. Recently at TIFF, it also earned the prestigious People’s Choice Award, generally a good predictor of a future Best Picture nominee.
It doesn’t hurt that Hamnet features two rising stars in Oscar nominees Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley. The film is based on Maggie O’Farrell’s bestselling novel about William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes as they cope with the death of their son Hamnet at the age of 11. Their grief and struggle set the backdrop for Shakespeare’s creation of Hamlet.
Zhao is directing from a script co-written with O’Farrell. This will be Zhao’s first film since the Marvel flop Eternals. Steven Spielberg and Sam Mendes believe in Zhao enough to be producers.
Also in the cast are Joe Alwyn, Emily Watson, Jacobi Jupe, Jack Shalloo, and David Wilmot.
SYNOPSIS: From Academy Award® winning writer/director Chloé Zhao, HAMNET tells the powerful story of love and loss that inspired the creation of Shakespeare’s timeless masterpiece, Hamlet.
Focus Features will release Hamnet in select theaters on November 27th before going wide December 12th.
![HAMNET - Official Trailer [HD] - Only In Theaters This Thanksgiving](https://i0.wp.com/i.ytimg.com/vi/xYcgQMxQwmk/hqdefault.jpg?w=696&ssl=1)
