The Tragedy of Macbeth trailer finds Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand take on Shakespeare

The Tragedy of Macbeth trailer finds Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand take on the iconic play with writer-director Joel Coen


Denzel Washington teams up with Frances McDormand and her husband Joel Coen to take on an iconic William Shakespeare play in The Tragedy of Macbeth trailer.

After making a career of writing and directing alongside his brother Ethan Coen, Joel Coen makes his solo writing and directing debut with this adaptation.

The trailer offers the first glimpse of Washington as Lord Macbeth, McDormand as Lady Macbeth and Brendan Gleeson as King Duncan (via A24 YouTube).

Trailer: Denzel Washington teams up with Frances McDormand and her husband Joel Coen to take on an iconic William Shakespeare play in The Tragedy of Macbeth trailer

The trailer begins with a shot of some buzzards or vultures circling overhead, revealing the film is shot in black-and-white.

Two figures are seen walking through the fog in the distance, with three black-clad witches mysteriously surfacing in front of a small puddle of water.

The two men are revealed to be Lord Macbeth and another companion, dressed in leather armor with swords hanging from their waists.

Witches: Two figures are seen walking through the fog in the distance, with three black-clad witches mysteriously surfacing in front of a small puddle of water

Witches: Two figures are seen walking through the fog in the distance, with three black-clad witches mysteriously surfacing in front of a small puddle of water

Macbeth: The two men are revealed to be Lord Macbeth and another companion, dressed in leather armor with swords hanging from their waists

Macbeth: The two men are revealed to be Lord Macbeth and another companion, dressed in leather armor with swords hanging from their waists

Another shot shows King Duncan, flanked by his son Malcolm (Harry Melling) and others in his court.

The brief trailer only includes another shot of Lord MacBeth forming a smile, a hand picking up a crown and Lady MacBeth turning from a window.

The final shots are set to one of the three infamous witches uttering the famous couplet: ‘By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes.’ 

King Duncan: Another shot shows King Duncan, flanked by his son Malcolm (Harry Melling) and others in his court

King Duncan: Another shot shows King Duncan, flanked by his son Malcolm (Harry Melling) and others in his court

Lady Macbeth: The brief trailer only includes another shot of Lord MacBeth forming a smile, a hand picking up a crown and Lady MacBeth turning from a window

Lady Macbeth: The brief trailer only includes another shot of Lord MacBeth forming a smile, a hand picking up a crown and Lady MacBeth turning from a window

Wicked: The final shots are set to one of the three infamous witches uttering the famous couplet: 'By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes'

Wicked: The final shots are set to one of the three infamous witches uttering the famous couplet: ‘By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes’

The cast also includes Ralph Ineson as The Captain, Corey Hawkins as Macduff, Alex Hassell as Ross, Sean Patrick Thomas as Monteith and James Udom as Seyton. 

Other cast members include Moses Ingram as Lady Macduff, Robert Gilbert as Angus with Kathryn Hunter credited as both the Witches and an ‘Old Man’ while frequent Coen collaborator Stephen Root has an unspecified role.

The A24 film will be released in theaters on December 25, and will be available to stream on Apple TV Plus starting January 14. 

Release: The A24 film will be released in theaters on December 25, and will be available to stream on Apple TV Plus starting January 14

Release: The A24 film will be released in theaters on December 25, and will be available to stream on Apple TV Plus starting January 14

Washington is coming off The Little Things with fellow Oscar winners Jared Leto and Rami Malek earlier this year.

McDormand is coming off Best Picture winner Nomadland and she’ll next be seen in Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch, in theaters October 22. 

Coen’s last film as a writer and director was alongside his brother Ethan Coen in the 2018 Netflix Western The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. 

REcent role: Washington is coming off The Little Things with fellow Oscar winners Jared Leto and Rami Malek earlier this year

REcent role: Washington is coming off The Little Things with fellow Oscar winners Jared Leto and Rami Malek earlier this year

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