“Hamnet” First Look: Chloé Zhao’s Oscar Contender Stars Paul Mescal & Jessie Buckley

There’s a very healthy cross-section of book and movie lovers who are eager, dare I say thrilled, that writer/director Chloé Zhao’s upcoming feature is an adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s moving novel, “Hamnet.” In that piece of brilliant historical fiction, O’Farrell treated us to the tortured origin story, if you will, of William Shakespeare’s deathless work “Hamlet,” which, we learn, was inspired by his wife’s struggle to overcome the loss of their only son, Hamnet. Hamnet was taken from them by the Black Death, and O’Farrell brought readers into the 16th-century life of Agnes, her husband Will, and the grief that infused their often hectic, yet intermittently happy home.

In Zhao, Hamnet might have its ideal filmmaker to explore the creation of a masterpiece and the very human loss that centered it. The film centers on Jessie Buckley’s Agnes and Paul Mescal’s Shakespeare, with Emily Watson and Joe Alwyn starring as Mary and Bartholomew, siblings close to Agnes and William and their family. Chao’s working with Cold War and The Zone of Interest cinematographer Lukasz Zal, veteran production designer Fiona Crombie (who knows from Shakespeare—she designed Justin Kurzel’s moody Macbeth in 2015), and her Nomadland composer Max Richter. It’s a starry ensemble of creatives working to enhance a starry ensemble cast, with Mescal and Buckley leading the way, two of the most accomplished performers of their generation.

In short, Hamnet is one of this season’s potential Oscar darlings—its December 12 release date puts it squarely in the award season mix—the first trailer is a sumptuous glimpse, and moving, too.

Check out the first look below.

Featured image: Jessie Buckley stars as Agnes and Paul Mescal as William Shakespeare in director Chloé Zhao’s HAMNET, a Focus Features release. Credit: Agata Grzybowska / © 2025 FOCUS FEATURES LLC