A24 has released a trailer for “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” Joel Coen’s new adaptation of the classic play by William Shakespeare premiering at the New York Film Festival in September.
Shot in black-and-white, Coen’s take on the Scottish Play stars Denzel Washington as Lord Macbeth and Frances McDormand as Lady Macbeth. As in the source material, the film will follow the couple’s murderous ploys for power over Scotland and their resulting descent into madness.
The ominous trailer shows disjointed clips of large black birds circling the sky, Macbeth trudging through the desert, a hand lifting a crown from the ground and Lady Macbeth fearfully looking over her shoulder. The only dialogue is a witch’s voice, speaking one of the most iconic lines from the play: “By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes.”
Joining Washington and McDormand in the cast are Corey Hawkins (“The Walking Dead,” “In The Heights”) as Macduff, Moses Ingram (“The Queen’s Gambit”) as Lady Macduff, Brendan Gleeson (“Harry Potter”) as King Duncan, Harry Melling (“Harry Potter,” “The Queen’s Gambit”) as Malcolm and Ralph Ineson (“The Green Knight”) as the captain, among others.
“The Tragedy of Macbeth” is Coen’s solo directorial debut, marking the first time either he or his brother Ethan have helmed a project without the other. The film does include some repeat collaborators for Coen, however: McDormand, his wife, has starred in several of the Coen brothers’ films including “Blood Simple” and “Fargo,” and Gleeson appeared in “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.” McDormand is hot off of her performance in Chloe Zhao’s best picture Oscar-winning “Nomadland,” for which she won best actress.
After opening NYFF, the film will debut on Apple TV Plus. It is one of several cinematic adaptations of the play including “Macbeth,” directed by and starring Orson Welles, and “Throne of Blood,” Akira Kurosawa’s samurai version of the story.
Watch the trailer below.