New Trailers 10 | Artemis Fowl, Piercing and The Lion King
New Trailers on Headstuff is the place to catch up on all the latest teasers released in the world of Film and TV. Stephen Porzio tells you what’s hot.
Most Anticipated – Piercing, Dir Nicolas Pesce
Based on a novel from Ryu Murakami (Audition), Nicolas Pesce (The Eyes of My Mother) directs this strange two-hander about a man (Christopher Abbott), who plans to purge his murderous thoughts by killing a call girl. However, when the prostitute (Mia Wasikowska) arrives, proceedings take a surreal turn.
A rarity for the New Trailers column – I have seen this film already, having caught its Irish premiere at the IFI’s Horrorthon this year. Thus, I can confirm that Piercing is a blackly funny, lurid conversation piece, made cinematic by some gorgeous aural and visual samples from the early work of Brian DePalma as well as Dario Argento.
2 – Perfume, Netflix
Continuing with the macabre is this six-episode series adaptation of Patrick Suskind’s 1985 historical crime thriller novel Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, previously made into a film in 2006.
This show is a new take on the material, only using the book’s conceit of a person murdering to create the perfect scent. Set in present-day Germany, it now focuses on a young profiler investigating a series of killings. She traces the crimes back to events at a boarding school where a small few were experimenting in making perfume. Dropping December 21 to Netflix, the trailer hints Perfume could fill that grim but beautiful Euro thriller shaped hole Dark left.
3 – Artemis Fowl, Dir Kenneth Branagh
Back in June, Headstuff’s Stuart Kilmartin suggested Artemis Fowl – adapted from the series of novels from Irish writer Eoin Colfer – could be the next franchise. Now we have a short teaser, suggesting our writer may have been right.
Director Kenneth Branagh (Cinderella, Thor) has proven he can make solid Hollywood blockbusters in his sleep. This teaser looks shiny and sleek. Plus, Artemis Fowl’s story, centring on a young boy (played by Ireland’s own Ferdia Shaw) attempting to steal from the fairy world to restore his family’s wealth, has the potential to capture the sort of magic the recent Fantastic Beasts entry lacked.
4 – The Lion King, Dir Jon Favreau
Following the vast success of his live action Jungle Book adaptation in 2016, director Jon Favreau (also the man behind Iron Man and its sequel and Elf) is set to take on another legendary animated property.
This trailer looks impressive, managing to render the beauty of the 1994 original into the live action format. However, given its pretty much a shot for shot remake of said animation, the only surprising element of this trailer is the fact that Queen Bee is credited as ‘Beyonce Knowles Carter’. Perhaps it’s time Favreau joined his journeyman director contemporary Doug Liman (American Made, Edge of Tomorrow) in taking on more original properties.
5 – Happy Death Day 2U, Dir Christopher B Landon
Last year, Happy Death Day – whereby a young college student is murdered, only to relive the day again and again, enabling her to find the killer – was a surprise hit both commercially and critically. This was down to a surprisingly funny script and a charismatically manic turn by then unknown star Jessica Rothe.
Now comes a sequel. This time lead character Tree (Rothe) falls back into the time loop to solve a friend’s murder – thus enabling the filmmakers to essentially make the same film again. I’m not complaining so long as I get more Rothe and OTT deaths. The jumping out of the plane naked scene seems promising from the teaser.
