Tenet star Kenneth Branagh can’t definitively say if he’s playing the villain – because he doesn’t quite know. That seems to be a running theme with Christopher Nolan’s latest film, which is so mysterious that some of its stars even struggle to comprehend what’s going on. The most recent trailer for Tenet certainly looks to position Branagh’s Russian national as the villain aiming to start what is essentially World War III, though it doesn’t reveal much about his motivations. This remains one of the many questions surrounding Tenet, which will put a spin on the traditional spy genre with the new concept of “time inversion”.
Another major question about Tenet is whether or not it will actually reach its scheduled release date. For months now, Tenet has held onto its July 17 debut even as most major 2020 movies flee to later dates because of the coronavirus pandemic. It seemed like Nolan’s time-bending flick would be the first big film to come out since early March, but now reports suggest Tenet‘s delay is imminent. Should Warner Bros. follow through in moving it, it’s unclear exactly when Tenet will be released. One thing is certain though: It will be shown in theaters.
Whenever Tenet does make its way out into the world, fans will finally get all their answers, and the stars just might too. While talking to Total Film (via SYFY Wire), Branagh touched upon how complex Tenet’s story is by saying, “I kid you not, I read this screenplay more times than I have ever read any other thing I have ever worked on. It was like doing the Times crossword puzzle every day, I would imagine.” When it came to his possibly-villainous character, the actor had to say this:
Given the nature of it, as Chris to some extent sort of reinvents the wheel here, a lot of people start engaging with John David Washington’s character in both expected ways…so you might expect me to be an antagonist…but then [the story] doesn’t quite follow what you might expect as the story plays out.
Later on, Branagh added, “So my conversations with [Nolan] about my character were constant, because the character’s evolution was not set. It was a series of constant surprises.” This, of course, does not clarify where his character stands, but it does suggest there will be some twists and turns involving his allegiances. At this point, very little is known about Tenet’s characters; for example, there’s a chance that John David Washington’s character doesn’t have any other name besides Protagonist. As strange as this may seem, it also, in a way, is one of Tenet’s strengths. It’s a completely original story, so all audiences will go in knowing next to nothing about what they’re about to watch.
For the time being, all eyes will be on that release date to see if it ends up changing. It certainly looks likely, which might come as a disappointment to those who miss seeing movies in theaters. Still, Nolan remains committed to the theatrical experience, so it’ll only be a matter of time until Tenet finds a new date. Until then, fans can continue to speculate about the mysteries of Tenet and whether Branagh’s character is actually the bad guy or not.
Key Release Dates
Tenet
Release Date:2020-09-03
