Jude Law & Alicia Vikander in Historical England in ‘Firebrand’ Trailer
by Alex Billington
May 8, 2024
Source: YouTube
“Do you believe in Hell? I think we’re both bound for it.” Roadside Attractions has revealed the first official trailer for Firebrand, the latest from Brazilian filmmaker Karim Aïnouz. This first premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival last year, which is why they’re debuting the trailer now just before Cannes 2024 kicks off soon. In a rotten, blood soaked island kingdom, there once was a queen by the name of Katherine Parr. The sixth wife of the vengeful King Henry VIII – and the only one to survive. This true story is about Queen Katherine Parr & Henry VIII’s marriage. Adapted from the novel “Queen’s Gambit” by Elizabeth Fremantle. With the hope for a future free of tyranny at risk, will Katherine submit to the inevitable for the sake of King and country? Alicia Vikander stars as Katherine Parr, Jude Law as Henry VIII, plus Eddie Marsan, Amr Waked, Sam Riley, Ruby Bentall, Bryony Hannah, and Erin Doherty. This one got pretty bad reviews out of Cannes last year, it is not worth sitting through unless you’re really into this kidn of history.
Here’s the official US trailer (+ new French poster) for Karim Aïnouz’s Firebrand, direct from YouTube:
In blood-soaked Tudor England, twice married, accomplished, educated Katherine Parr (Alicia Vikander), reluctantly agrees to become the sixth wife of the tyrannical King Henry VIII (Jude Law). Her consent to marry him carries great personal risk, given that her predecessors are either vanquished, beheaded, or dead. When Henry appoints her as Regent, the nation’s ruler during his absence when he departs to fight overseas, he lays a dangerous path. Henry’s courtiers, suspecting she’s sympathetic to radical Protestant beliefs that have taken root in the kingdom and are a threat to their power, scheme against her and cast doubts upon her fidelity to the increasingly ailing and paranoid King. Once Henry returns to England, his courtiers convince him to turn his fury on the nation’s radicals, including her childhood friend Anne Askew, who becomes one of the scores of people convicted of treason and burned at the stake. Horrified & privately grieving, Katherine finds herself under ever-increasing scrutiny and suspicion. Knowing even a whisper of scandal might lead to her downfall, Katherine unleashes her own scheme to fight for survival.
Firebrand is directed by the acclaimed Brazilian artist / filmmaker Karim Aïnouz, director of the films Madame Satã, Love for Sale, Futuro Beach, O Sol na Cabeça, and Invisible Life previously, plus many other short films and documentaries. The screenplay is written by Henrietta Ashworth and Jessica Ashworth; adapted from the novel “Queen’s Gambit” by Elizabeth Fremantle. Produced by Carolyn Marks Blackwood, Gabrielle Tana. This first premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival in the Main Competition. Roadside Attractions will debut Aïnouz’s Firebrand in select US theater starting on June 14th, 2024 this summer.
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