William Tell: Release date news, cast details and more about the upcoming historical action film

BAFTA-winning director Nick Hamm will soon be back on the big screens with his much-anticipated historical action film William Tell. The movie gained some prominence owing to its early screenings at the Toronto International Film Festival (2024) and was later released in the United Kingdom in January 2025.

William Tell is an adaptation of Friedrich Schiller's novel going by the same name, with the premise set way back in the early 14th Century, centering on a story of oppression by the Austrians on the serene soils of Switzerland. The movie also follows a man named William Tell (played by Claes Kasper Bang) and how he helps build a rebellion against the culminating tyranny of Habsburg's royal house.

William Tell will have a limited theatrical release in the United States this April as Altitude Film oversees the distribution. The official synopsis of William Tell, per IMDb, reads:

"The narrative unfolds in the 14th Century amidst the days of the Holy Roman Empire where Europe's nations fiercely vie for supremacy and the ambitious Austrians, desiring more land, encroach upon Switzerland, a serene and pastoral nation."

When will William Tell be released?

Nick Hamm's William Tell will hit theatres across the United States on April 4, 2025. It is going to premiere on the same day as potential Hollywood hits like A Minecraft Movie. Earlier on January 10, 2025, the movie had a theatrical release in The United Kingdom, and so far, there have reportedly been mixed reviews from critics and the audience.

What do we know about the plot of William Tell?

William Tell is a story of oppression and rebellion. It takes us back to the 14th Century when most of Europe was in a tumultuous situation. As royal houses of Austria start occupying lands across Switzerland, the natives find themselves stranded at a crossroads - whether they should accept the oppression and live or fight back and die.

Amidst all the conundrums, a local peasant named Konrad Baumgarten takes help from William Tell, who is portrayed as an ex-crusade soldier. Following the assassination of a constable by Konrad, a ruthless bailiff named Albrecht Gessler (played by Connor Swindells) is appointed by King Albert of the Habsburg's royal house.

Gessler's initiation in resisting the Swiss movement gives rise to a civil war where William Tell eventually takes the lead and gets help from Bertha (Ellie Bamber portrays), King Albert's niece. As the resistance grows in size and the tyrannical Albert is killed by Bertha, the flame of oppression slowly dies away, and Gessler is also defeated. Tell tries to get back to a normal life, but as he crosses paths with Bertha again, he eventually realizes that Switzerland's freedom will cost more fighting.

Who is in the cast of William Tell?

Claes Kasper Bang will lead the cast of William Tell in the titular role alongside Sex Education star Connor Ryan Swindells, who will play Gessler. Golshifteh Farahani will portray Suna, a woman Tell meets in Palestine and ends up marrying.

Academy Award-winning star Sir Ben Kingsley will portray the tyrannical King Albert as he is joined by another lead cast member, Samuel Keeley, in the role of Konrad Baumgarten (a pivotal character in the Swiss rebellion). Among others in the cast, we have:

Rafe Spall in the role of Wener Stauffacher, a Swiss noble
Emily Beechan in the role of Gertrude, Werner Stauffacher's wife
Eanna Hardwicke in the role of Young Tell
Tobias Jowett in the role of Walter (William Tell's son)
Jonah Hauer-King playing the part of Rudenz
Jess Douglas-Welsh playing the role of Albert's daughter, commonly known as Quenn Agnes
Neva Leoni playing the part of Baumgarten's Wife
Jonathan Pryce in the role of Rudenz's uncle, aka Attinghausen
David Moorst playing the role of Leopold I, the Duke of Austria
Jake Dunn in the role of Stussi
Billy Postlethwaite playing the role of The Wolfshot
Solly McLeod in the role of Melchtal
Colin Bennett in the role of Melchtal's father
Diarmaid Murtagh playing the role of Master Builder
Amar Chadha-Patel in the role of a priest named Furst