‘Hamnet’ trailer: Paul Mescal, Jessie Buckley star as Shakespeare and his wife in new Chloe Zhao drama

Focus Features has unveiled the first trailer for Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet, starring Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley as William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes. The film is slated for a limited theatrical release in the U.S. on November 27, ahead of a wider rollout on December 12.

Adapted from Maggie O’Farrell’s award-winning 2020 novel, Hamnet offers a fictionalised account of Shakespeare’s family life, focusing on the couple’s relationship and the loss of their 11-year-old son, Hamnet, in 1596. The story is closely tied to the origins of Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, reframing the tragedy through an intimate domestic lens.

Mescal plays Shakespeare at the height of his early career, while Buckley portrays Agnes, a figure often overlooked in historical accounts. In the teaser, their relationship is front and center, with dialogues hinting at tenderness and grief.

The cast also includes Emily Watson and Joe Alwyn. Zhao directed the film and co-wrote the screenplay with O’Farrell. Producers include Liza Marshall, Pippa Harris, Nicolas Gonda, Sam Mendes, and Steven Spielberg, with Zhao also serving as an executive producer alongside Kristie Macosko Krieger and Laurie Borg.

Hamnet will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, marking Zhao’s return to the festival circuit following her Oscar-winning Nomadland. Her previous credits include The Rider and Marvel’s Eternals.