Multiple people who worked on the movie have already won Oscars.
The first trailer hit the web this week for Empire of Light, a new movie that looks set to be a future Oscar contender.
Written and directed by Sam Mendes (1917, American Beauty, Skyfall), specific plot details for the romantic drama are being kept under wraps, though we do know it takes place in and around a beautiful old cinema in an English seaside town in the 1980s.
The trailer also suggests a love story between its characters played by Micheal Ward (Top Boy) and Olivia Colman (The Favourite).
Described by its distributor as a “powerful and poignant story about human connection and the magic of cinema”, Empire of Light will co-star Colin Firth (The King’s Speech) and Toby Jones (the Harry Potter films).
Colman, Firth and Mendes have already won Academy Awards, as has Empire of Light’s cinematographer Roger Deakins (for 1917 and Blade Runner 2049), its editor Lee Smith (for Dunkirk) and its composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (for Soul and The Social Network).
This, and the fact that the film is said to be about the power of movies, means it could well be an awards contender when next year’s Oscar nominations roll around.
Empire of Light will arrive in Irish cinemas on 13 January 2023. Until then, you can check out the trailer below.
Clip via Searchlight Pictures UK
Earlier in the week, JOE covered the trailer for The Last of Us TV series in a separate article here.
Meanwhile, here are some of the other big teasers that were released in the past seven days in the world of film and TV.
Confess, Fletch
Clip via Paramount Movies
Starting off with movies, Jon Hamm takes over from Chevy Chase as reporter Irwin “Fletch” Fletcher in this comedy noir which is out in the US on 16 September but does not have an Irish release date yet.
Goodnight Mommy
Clip via Prime Video
Naomi Watts stars in this remake of the very unsettling Austrian horror of the same name which is out on Prime Video on 16 September.
Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon
Clip via Paramount Pictures
A woman (Jeon Jong-seo) with special powers escapes from a psychiatric hospital and tries to make it on her own in New Orleans in this sci-fi thriller which does not have an Irish release date but is out in the States on 30 September.
My Best Friend’s Exorcism
Clip via Prime Video
Two teenage friends (Amiah Miller and Elsie Fisher) have their relationship tested when one of them becomes possessed by a demon in this adaptation of Grady Hendrix’s popular novel which arrives on Prime Video on 30 September.
Pinocchio
Clip via Walt Disney Studios
This live-action remake of Walt Disney’s 1940 animated movie Pinocchio with Tom Hanks as Geppetto will be released on Disney+ on 8 September.
Something in the Dirt
Clip via XYZ Films
Two neighbors begin documenting supernatural events in their Los Angeles apartment building in this sci-fi which is out in the US on 4 November but does not have an Irish release date yet.
Tár
Clip via Universal Pictures Ireland
In this other Oscar hopeful set to be released on 20 January 2023, Cate Blanchett stars as a renowned classical music orchestra conductor.
The Inspection
Clip via A24
In this A24 drama, a young and gay Black man (Jeremy Pope) rejected by his mother and with few options for his future decides to join the Marines, doing whatever it takes to succeed.
The Inspection is out in the US on 18 November but does not have an Irish release date yet.
White Noise
Clip via Netflix
Writer-director Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story) helms this adaptation of Don DeLillo’s “unfilmable novel” starring Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig which is set for a Netflix release later in the year.
A Friend of the Family
Clip via Sky TV
Moving onto TV, this new drama series is based on the harrowing true story of the Broberg family, whose daughter Jan (Mckenna Grace) was kidnapped multiple times over a period of years by a charismatic, obsessed family “friend” (Jake Lacy).
A Friend of the Family is coming to Peacock on 7 October, exclusively on Sky and NOW.
The Idol
Clip via HBO
A self-help guru and leader of a modern-day cult (series co-creator The Weeknd) enters into a complicated relationship with a rising pop idol (Lily-Rose Depp) in this HBO drama set for a release later in the year.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Clip via Prime Video
Last but not least, this Lord of the Rings prequel series premieres on Prime Video on 2 September.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ podcast – listen to the latest episode now!
