Netflix has released a final trailer for The King, and it’s full of pull-quotes praising the Timothée Chalamet-led historical drama. Loosely adapted from William Shakespeare’s Henriad (aka. The Bard’s famous collection of plays about Richard II, Henry IV, and Henry V), the film stars Chalamet as young Prince Hal opposite a cast that includes co-writer Joel Edgerton as Hal/Henry V’s alcoholic mentor, the knight Falstaff, and Robert Pattinson as his sworn enemy, The Dauphin of France. And though it begins streaming in November, it’s been showing in select theaters across the U.S. for the past couple weeks.
The King was well-received during its premiere at the Venice Film Festival back in September, but hasn’t been generating a whole lot of Oscar buzz since then. Nevertheless, Netflix is taking advantage of the supportive early reviews with its marketing campaign, ahead of the movie’s streaming launch around the globe.
With just a week to go before its starts streaming, The King has received a final trailer. You can check it out below, courtesy of Netflix’s YouTube account.
As outlined in the trailer, The King follows the “wayward prince and reluctant heir” Hal as he assumes the throne of England in the wake of his tyrannical father, Henry IV’s (Ben Mendelsohn), death, and struggles to navigate the cutthroat world of politics and warfare that his predecessor left behind. Both this preview and The King‘s teaser trailer have done a nice job of highlighting Adam Arkapaw’s gorgeously bleak cinematography, as well as the sweeping scope and scale of the film’s medieval set pieces. Director David Michôd has never struggled to deliver visually striking movies in the past and The King‘s setting looks as handsomely-crafted as the stark dystopia of The Rover and Melbourne’s shadowy criminal underworld in Animal Kingdom (to name two examples). Whether the story and characters are as compelling, though, is the question.
The King, as mentioned, has gotten top marks for both its production design and performances (Pattinson’s Frenchman looks like a real hoot in the final trailer), but the early reviews suggest it lacks that special ingredient to really stand out in the crowded field of awards season hopefuls. Perhaps for that reason, Netflix has been capitalizing on the buzz around films like Dolemite Is My Name, The Irishman, and Marriage Story instead, when it comes to its “For Your Consideration” campaigning so far. But again, The King seems like it’s worth checking out, especially if you’re a fan of all things Shakespeare-related and/or are in the mood for more of Pattinson’s shenanigans after watching The Lighthouse.
Key Release Dates
The King
Release Date:2019-11-01
