While the trailer shows snippets of the film’s big-name stars, which include George Clooney, Channing Tatum, Scarlett Johansson, and more, the bulk of it centers on a comical interaction between Ehrenreich as an actor named Tobey and Ralph Fiennes as Laurence, the seemingly beleaguered director of a fictional film. Tobey is shown struggling with the line “would that it ’twere so simple,” much to the dismay of Laurence. The two go back and forth as the director tries to emulate how the words should be spoken, but not to much success.
Entertaining as Laurence and Tobey are, the central character is actually Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin), a fixer working for the fictional Capitol Studios during Hollywood’s Golden Age. He ends up with a complicated (not to mention unusual) problem to solve when Baird Whitlock (Clooney), the star of a major production, is kidnapped, forcing him to team up with other industry insiders to recover the actor. The first trailer and TV spots have focused more on that storyline, whereas the most recent preview gives a sense of the humor to come.
The impressive cast also features Tilda Swinton, Jonah Hill, and Frances McDormand. Hail, Caesar! is written, directed, and executive produced by Joel and Ethan Coen. Working Title’s Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner executive produce as well. The film is set to open at the Berlin International Film Festival in February, according to Deadline.
Hail, Caesar! hits domestic theaters on February 5.
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