Focus Features released the first trailer for The Book of Henry this week, and along with offering a preview of what we can expect from the film, it also hints at why Trevorrow was so enamored with the original screenplay penned by acclaimed crime novelist and comic book writer Gregg Hurwitz. What seems at first to be a typical story of a precocious preteen in a small suburban town becomes something else entirely by the time the trailer ends.
The Book of Henry casts Midnight Special star Jaeden Lieberher as Henry Carpenter, a brilliant 12-year-old with boundless creativity who holds his family together with help from his waitress mother, played by two-time Academy Award nominee Naomi Watts (King Kong, The Ring), and a younger brother played by Room actor Jacob Tremblay. When Henry discovers that his next-door neighbor and friend is in danger, he creates a complicated plan to save her that requires some help from his family.
Along with the trio of aforementioned actors, the cast of The Book of Henry also includes Emmy-winning actress and comedian Sarah Silverman (The Sarah Silverman Program, Sarah Silverman: We Are Miracles), Breaking Bad actor Dean Norris, and Saturday Night Live actor Bobby Moynihan. The film will also mark the feature debut of Maddie Ziegler, who appeared in the Dance Moms reality television series and co-starred with Shia LaBeouf in the video for Sia’s Elastic Heart.
Trevorrow became one of Hollywood’s most in-demand filmmakers after the success of the 2012 indie sci-fi drama Safety Not Guaranteed — which he directed from a script by his frequent collaborator Derek Connolly. That film led to him taking the director’s chair on Jurassic World, the 2015 reboot of the Jurassic Park franchise. The latter film earned more than $1.6 billion worldwide and was the second-highest grossing film of the year after Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens. Trevorrow was announced as the director of Star Wars: Episode IX that same year.
Trevorrow and Connolly penned the script for the upcoming Jurassic World sequel, which will be directed by J.A. Bayona (A Monster Calls, The Orphanage) and is set to hit theaters next year.
The Book of Henry arrives in theaters June 16.
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