Apple TV+ and A24 have unveiled a new teaser trailer for The Tragedy of Macbeth, a new Shakespeare adaptation directed by Joel Coen, starring Academy Award-winners Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand. Described as “a tale of murder, madness, ambition and wrathful cunning,” The Tragedy of Macbeth premiered at the New York Film Festival in September and has already amassed rave reviews.
The 43-second teaser, much like the one that debuted in September, shows off the stunning black-and-white visuals that Coen and his cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel have crafted. Shot entirely on soundstages and filmed in the Academy ratio, The Tragedy of Macbeth pays homage to German expressionism and the films of Ingmar Bergman.
A morality tale about ambition and guilt, Macbeth tells the story of a Scottish general who is prophesied by three witches to one day become king. Spurred on by Lady Macbeth, he becomes consumed by a desire to conquer all, slowly sacrificing his humanity and descending into madness.
Macbeth has been adapted numerous times on screen — Orson Welles directed a version in 1948, Roman Polanski helmed one in 1971, and more recently, Michael Fassbender played the character for director Justin Kurzel in a 2015 adaptation. More expressionistic adaptations have also been made around the world. These include Akira Kurosawa’s Throne of Blood, which transposed the story from medieval Scotland to feudal Japan; William Reilly’s mob picture Men of Respect; and director Vishal Bhardwaj’s Maqbool, which was based in the Mumbai underworld.
Besides Delbonnel, who has previously worked with the Coen Brothers on their Paris, je t’aime short, Inside Llewyn Davis, and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, longtime Coen collaborator Carter Burwell is back to compose the score. In fact, it was Burwell who revealed in an appearance on the podcast Score why Ethan isn’t involved in the film. “Ethan just didn’t want to make movies anymore,” he said bluntly.
The Tragedy of Macbeth also stars Corey Hawkins, Moses Ingram, Ralph Ineson, Sean Patrick Thomas, Harry Melling, Bertie Carvel, Kathryn Hunter, Brendan Gleeson, and Stephen Root. The Tragedy of Macbeth will receive a limited theatrical release on December 25, followed by a streaming release on Apple TV+ on January 14. Check out the new teaser for The Tragedy of Macbeth here: