On top of being a widely heralded actor, Paul Mescal has become an internet boyfriend through an array of hunky, heartbreaking performances in everything from Aftersun and Normal People to All of Us Strangers and Gladiator II. The Irish actor is not letting up on us. This winter, he appears in the romantic drama The History of Sound opposite Challengers’ Josh O’Connor, and then comes Hamnet, where Mescal offers us a take on William Shakespeare that is both smoldering and deeply sad. So have tissues at the ready.
Hamnet stars Mescal as the legendary playwright. But far from focusing on Shakepeare’s heady times as the toast of the Globe theatre, London, and the queen herself, this drama focuses on his family, and in particular, the personal tragedy that inspired him to write Hamlet: the death of his young son, Hamnet.
Two-time Academy Award-winner Chloé Zhao directs this much-anticipated adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s beloved historical novel of the same name. Beyond exploring Shakespeare’s perspective of this tragic time, the trailer suggests O’Farrell and Zhao, who co-wrote the adapted screenplay together, will also delve into what the death of her only son was like for his wife, Anne “Agnes” Hathaway, played here by acclaimed actress Jessie Buckley, who has awed critics with her jaw-dropping turns in Men, The Lost Daughter, and Wild Rose.
Sure to be a tearjerker packed with powerful performances from a pair of Oscar nominees, Hamnet is one to watch this fall — starting with its premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival. Look for Mashable’s coverage out of the fest, including our review of Hamnet.
Hamnet opens in theaters in limited release on Nov. 27 and nationwide in the US on Dec. 12.
