'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wAARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMH/8QAHhAAAgEEAwEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIEAAMREgYhQTH/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD/8QAFxEAAwEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEhMf/aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8Aw1Y0ZLW8iEjlG1VLd5kHYzktgk+VRePXQoDyF29wD9pSiwd1n//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Hamnet is the forthcoming film in the historical drama genre and is directed by Chloé Zhao. It's her first directorial venture since 2021's Eternals. Written by Zhao and Maggie O'Farrell, the film is an adaptation of O'Farrell's namesake 2020 novel. Here's the official synopsis as per Letterboxd:
"Agnes Shakespeare – the wife of the world’s most famous writer – struggles to come to terms with the loss of her only son, Hamnet."
Ahead of the film's theatrical release on November 27, 2025, the makers have released its official trailer. It teases the film's plot revolving around Agnes Shakespeare and William Shakespeare.
Hamnet official trailer focuses on the Shakespeare family
Focus Features has released the official trailer of Hamnet, and it runs for two minutes. The video opens with Agnes Shakespeare asking her husband William Shakespeare to tell her a story that moved him. We are shown that the couple is struggling with the loss of their young and only son, named Hamnet. This story is said to have inspired the Bard to create his popular play Hamlet.
O'Farrell's novel of the same name is a fictional take on his death and how his parents coped with his demise. It became a New York Times bestseller and bagged the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction and the Women's Prize for Fiction. It was also shortlisted in several annual literary awards, including the Walter Scott Prize and the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, among others.
The film is produced by Steven Spielberg, Sam Mendes, Liza Marshall, Nicolas Gonda and Pippa Harris under the banners of Amblin Entertainment, Book of Shadows, Hera Pictures, and Neal Street Productions. Its cast members include:
- Jessie Buckley as Agnes Shakespeare
- David Wilmot as John
- Paul Mescal as William Shakespeare
- Jack Shalloo as Marcellus
- Joe Alwyn as Bartholomew
- Emily Watson as Mary Shakespeare
- Jacobi Jupe as Hamnet Shakespeare
The film will have its world premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival in the Gala Presentations section on September 7, 2025. Focus Features will be releasing the film in a limited number of screens in the US on November 27, 2025. Universal Pictures will be releasing the film internationally.
Zhao's earlier directorial venture was the superhero film Eternals, which was the 26th title in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). It minted $402.1 million and met with mixed critical response.
Trending
Stay tuned to Soap Central for more such stories.
Love movies? Try our Box Office Game and Movie Grid Game to test your film knowledge and have some fun!
Reply
