Warner Bros. has released a brand new trailer for The Good Liar. This is the latest from director Bill Condon, who most recently helmed Disney's live-action Beauty and the Beast. He was originally supposed to helm Universal's remake of Bride of Frankenstein. But when the Dark Universe fell apart in a hurry, he instead decided to tackle a more grounded thriller with two excellent leads in the form of Ian McKellen and Hellen Mirren. This looks right up his alley and like the rare kind of non-blockbuster movie in the modern marketplace that could actually prove to be a hit.
The trailer kicks off with a pretty great shot of Ian McKellen rocking a mustache and a million dollar grin. Once that's over with, we get to the heart of the matter, which has him meeting up with Helen Mirren for an online date. They hit it off but we quickly come to find that McKellen isn't who he says he is and things get pretty dicey. There's a lot of mystery, intrigue and deception. All together, it looks very stylish, slick and like a very effective thriller. The kind we don't get to see all that often anymore, especially as a big-budget studio release.
These days, it seems like either low-budget indies that manage to break through, low-ish budget horror movies, or massive budget blockbusters are the only things that regularly make money. Every once in a while a comedy breaks through, but movies like this are really suffering theatrically. It's too early to say if this movie is going to be as good as it looks like it could be, but this is exactly the kind of thing movie lovers don't want to see disappear in the age of streaming services.
The Good Liar centers on a lifelong con artist Roy Courtnay (Ian McKellen), who has made something of a life of it. He can hardly believe his luck when he meets a rather well off widow named Betty McLeish (Hellen Mirren) through an online dating site. As Betty opens her home and life to him, Roy, rather surprisingly, finds himself actually caring about her. This turns what was supposed to be a straightforward con into the most precarious tightrope walk of his life.
The studio has also released a new poster for the movie, which highlights its two stars. Jeffrey Hatcher (Mr. Holmes) penned the screenplay, which is based on the acclaimed novel by Nicholas Searle. We've got two classic movie stars, a very talented director, some compelling source material and a big studio behind the project. All of the pieces are in place for this to be something to look forward to in late 2019. The question is, will moviegoers actually show up? The Good Liar is set to hit theaters on November 15. Be sure to check out the trailer for yourself from the Warner Bros. Pictures YouTube channel.
Ian McKellen Pulls the Ultimate Con on Hellen Mirren
