Four years since the arrival ofChloé Zhao’sEternalson the big screen, her follow-up film,Hamnet, has finally released its first image.An adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel of the same name, the filmoffers a fictionalized account of author William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes Shakespeare (who was really named Anne Hathaway) as they cope with the death of their 11-year-old sonHamnet. Zhao not only directed, but is the co-writer of the film alongside O’Farrell, and directors Steven Spielberg and Sam Mendes are signed on as producers.
The first photo ofHamnet,revealed viaDiscussing Film, can be seen below. The movie features Paul Mescal (Gladiator II) as William Shakespeare and Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter) as Anne Hathaway. Other cast members include Joe Alwyn (The Brutalist), Emily Watson (Chernobyl), Jacobi Jupe (Peter Pan & Wendy), Jack Shalloo (1917), and David Wilmot (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald).Hamnetwill premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 7, 2025, and will have a limited theatrical release on Nov. 27 before going nationwide on December 12.
Chloé Zhao’s Long-Awaited Return
As previously mentioned,Hamnetmarks Chloé Zhao’s first feature film sinceEternalswas released in 2021.Eternalsfaced heavy expectations, as Marvel Studios touted it as a potential Best Picture nominee likeBlack Panther. This seemed reasonable, given that in the time betweenEternals' announcement and its release, Zhao won the Best Picture and Best Director Academy Awards forNomadland. Sadly,Eternalsunderperformed at the box office, and its more experimental tone made it the first MCU film to land a Rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Not only did itput theEternalsfranchise on the back burner, but it also seemed to impact Zhao’s career.
Zhao had been working on asci-fi western version ofDraculaat Universal PicturesbeforeEternalscame out. Despite having an Academy Award win and critically acclaimed films likeThe RiderandSongs My Brother Taught Meon her resume, that project’s slow drift into development hell suggested that Zhao’s momentum was suffering in a way that many of her male peers didn’t have to deal with after disapointing reactions to their films — like Andy Muschietti getting the job to directThe Brave and the BolddespiteThe Flashbombing.
Setbacks notwithstanding, Zhao remains busy, and seems poised to kick off a new phase of her career. Not only does she haveHamnetin the pipeline, but she’s also currently filming thepilot for the highly anticipated relaunch ofBuffy the Vampire Slayer. Zhao is one of the most interesting filmmakers working today, and her impressively varied resume shows nobody’s quite doing it like her.
