Paul Mescal, Jessie Buckley steal the show in emotional 'Hamnet' trailer
Oscar-winning Chloé Zhao-helmed 'Hamnet' is one of the most-awaited films of 2026, and has already been touted as one of the frontrunners to rake in the awards. Produced by Steven Spielberg and Sam Mendes, the film has now debuted its official trailer. 'Hamnet, a fictionalized romance and a sorrowful drama focusing on William Shakespeare, his wife, Agnes, and their tumultous relationship after the death of their 11-year-old son, Hamnet. It's based on Maggie O'Farrell's 2020 novel of the same name.
The drama also stars Joe Alwyn as Bartholomew Hathaway, Emily Watson as Mary Shakespeare, David Wilmot as John Shakespeare, Jacobi Jupe as Hamnet Shakespeare, and Olivia Lynes as Judith Shakespeare.
'Hamnet' is set for a November release with Paul Mescal and Jessica Buckley playing the lead roles of Shakespeare and Agnes. The trailer provides a glimpse into the story. and more of the relationship between Shakespeare and his wife. The film traces the happy times, the tragic death of Hamnet, and the impact of his death on the family. The official logline reads, "From Academy Award-winning writer/director Chloé Zhao, Hamnet tells the powerful story of love and loss that inspired the creation of Shakespeare's timeless masterpiece, Hamlet."
The movie is also Zhao's next major work after 'Eternals'. In an interview with Vanity Fair, the director explained how the new-age MCU flick readied her for 'Hamnet'. "Eternals prepared me for Hamnet because it’s world-building. Before that, I had only done films that existed in the real world. I also learned what to do and not to do—what’s realistic and what isn’t,” Zhao said. "Eternals had, like, an unlimited amount of money and resources. And here we have one street corner that we can afford to [stand in for] Stratford… Eternals didn’t have a lot of limitations, and that is actually quite dangerous. Because we only have that street corner [in Hamnet], suddenly everything has meaning."
Buckey, who plays Agnes, also gave fans an idea of her character. Speaking in the same interview, "It was the most fluid, creative, immediate film experience I’ve had,” Buckley says. “Whatever Agnes represented as a woman and in relation to nature and to her children and to life and death…I found that very intense." 'Hament' opened to rave reviews from critics when it premiered at the 52nd Telluride Film Festival. It will see a limited theatrical release in the United States on November 27.
