Every so often, a film pops up from seemingly nowhere with a killer cast, an exciting talent at the helm, and a trailer that demands you sit up and pay attention. The first look at Promising Young Woman is here to do exactly that, announcing itself as one of the most intriguing projects arriving in the not-too-distant future. The feature debut of writer-director Emerald Fennell – who took over as showrunner on Killing Eve Season 2, and can currently be seen as Camilla not-yet-Parker-Bowles in the latest season of The Crown – it’s a revenge movie starring Carey Mulligan as Cassie, a woman who… well, see for yourself the trailer below.
From its fourth-wall-breaking question of ‘What are you doing?’, to that pointed line, ‘They put themselves in danger, girls like that’, this one looks like a particularly sharp, timely examination of consent, assault, and gender politics, all wrapped up in a stylish, darkly comic thriller. Here's the official synopsis: 'From visionary director Emerald Fennell comes a delicious new take on revenge. Everyone said Cassie was a promising young woman... until a mysterious event abruptly derailed her future. But nothing in Cassie’s life is what it appears to be: she’s wickedly smart, tantalizingly cunning, and she’s living a secret double life by night. Now, an unexpected encounter is about to give Cassie a chance to right the wrongs of the past in this thrilling and wildly entertaining story.'
Around Mulligan is an impressive cast including the likes of Alison Brie,Connie Britton, Bo Burnham,Adam Brody,Christopher Mintz-Plasse,Laverne CoxandMolly Shannon. Add in the fact that Fennell has penned an original screenplay for this one, and it's coming fromMargot Robbie’s LuckyChap Entertainment, and Promising Young Woman looks undeniably, well, promising.
Stay tuned for a trailer breakdown interview with Emerald Fennell coming very soon. Thrillingly, the film is due to land in the next few months – receiving its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January, followed by a UK release in spring.