Hamnetis set to be Chloé Zhao’s fifth feature film and there’s been a lot of news coming out about the cast, story, and more. Chloé Zhao has had an interesting career. The Chinese-born Zhao began her career making a series of short films before her feature directorial debut in 2015 withSongs My Brother Taught Me, about the bond between a Lakota Sioux brother and sister. She then went on to make the acclaimedThe Riderin 2017, which she followed up withthe personal and movingNomadland, her most acclaimed film that shot her to stardom.
Her next film,Eternals, is not one ofthe most beloved in MCU history, but few of them have been sinceAvengers: Endgame. Zhao takes quite a bit of time in between her feature films, so it wasn’t exactly a surprise that there wasn’t much news about a new movie from the Academy Award-winning director afterEternals. Thankfully,Zhao did eventually announce her next film,Hamnet, based on the 2020 historical fiction novel by Northern Irish author, Maggie O’Farrell. News has been coming out slowly about the cast, story, and more for the film.
Hamnet Film Latest News
Hamnet Has Finished Production
The latest news forHamnetcomes fromWorld of Reelin September 2024.Hamnetrecently wrapped up production in late September 2024, with much of the filming taking place in Wales.
Hamnet Film Confirmed
Zhao And O’Farrell Worked On Adapting The Novel Into A Movie
Hamnetwas first announced in April 2024, when Chloé Zhao was revealed to be adapting O’Farrell’s novel for Amblin Partners, Hera Pictures, Neal Street Productions, and Book of Shadows (viaDeadline). It was also announced that O’Farrell would be helping Zhao adapt her script. At the time, it was unknown ifHamnetwould be Zhao’s next movie.
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Later, in August 2024, the film was confirmed to be in production, landing at Focus Features and Steven Spielberg joined the project as a producer (viaVariety). At the moment, there is no official release date, but with production having wrapped, it’s very possible that audiences could be watchingHamnetin theaters in 2025.
Hamnet Film Cast
Paul Mescal And Jessie Buckley Star
The first cast members to be announced forHamnetwere the two stars. Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley have joined the cast of the film as William Shakespeare and Jessie Buckley as Agnes Shakespeare (viaVogue).This will be the second time the two actors have appeared in a movie togetherafter appearing inthe cast ofLost Daughter. However, as Buckley played a younger version of the character in the main plotline,Hamnetwill mark the first time the pair have actually shared the screen together.
Emily Watson
Unknown
In August 2024, Emily Watson ofDune: ProphecyandChernobyl, and Joe Alwyn ofThe BrutalistandThe Favouritewere cast in unnamed parts (viaDeadline). According toIndependent Talent, Jacobi Jupe has been cast as the titular role of Hamnet, a role which may not end up having much screen time. Some sources list Jack Shalloo of1917in the cast, but no reputable sources can be found with the announcement. Shalloo has appeared in the theater production,Hamlet the Musicalas Hamlet, which may be where the confusion comes from.
Hamnet Film Story Details
William And Agnes Shakespeare Deal With The Loss Of Their Son
Hamnetis a historical drama film based on Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 historical fiction noveland the author helped Zhao adapt the book to the script. The story is a fictional account of William and Agnes Shakespeare, who are reeling from the death of their son, Hamnet, who died at age 11 in 1596. A true thing that happened to the great English Bard and his real wife.Hamnetis a moving story about grief, love, and loss, told through the prism of late 16th-century aesthetics and sensibilities, combined with the popular rise of Shakespeare as a playwright.
It’s a family drama, a romance story, and a tale about wealth and fame, weaving everything together for what will hopefully be a resonant look at family, pain, regret, and forgiveness, which are all frequent themes in Zhao movies.
It’s a family drama, a romance story, and a tale about wealth and fame, weaving everything together for what will hopefully be a resonant look at family, pain, regret, and forgiveness, which are all frequent themes in Zhao movies. The novel, and the stage adaptation that premiered in 2023 at the Royal Shakespeare Company, both utilize a time-jumping narrative where Hamnet is a young boy who falls ill and an earlier narrative where a young William Shakespeare meets Agnes for the first time and falls in love.
There is a large ensemble of characters, primarily Shakespeare’s family, in both the 1596 timeline and in the earlier one, which means more cast members should be announced sometime soon. After Hamnet’s death, William becomes hyper-focused on writing his ode to his son, the play that will come to be known asHamlet, and the film will follow his efforts to get the project onto the stage.
This Is Chloe Zhao’s Third Adapted Work
This is the third time in Chloé Zhao’s career that she’s adapted a story into a movie. Her first time was withNomadland, which was based on the 2017 non-fiction book,Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Centuryby Jessica Bruder. The film features several real-life nomads who appear as fictionalized versions of themselves. This film earned Zhao three Academy Award wins after being nominated for six at the 93rd Academy Awards.
Her fourth feature film,Eternals, was, of course, based on the Marvel comic characters of the same name. WhileEternalswas not based on any one comic book run,Zhao still had to adapt multiple comic characters for the screen and verify they all fit together in a coherent and interesting way. Whateverproblems there are withEternals, it’s not with the way Zhao adapted the characters and story to the big screen.
She clearly has a strong ability to adapt source material into something engaging and fresh on-screen.Hamnetwill be her chance to once again show just what she can do adapting a story, and it will also give her a chance to combine elements of her last two films. It’s not a modern film, and Zhao will have a fantastic time with the costuming and setting like inEternals, but it’s also a much more human and down-to-Earth story, like inNomadland.
