Lionsgate releases a new trailer for Jay Roach’s Bombshell. The film, which is based on the true story of the sexual harassment allegations made against former Fox News head Roger Ailes, skipped the various fall festivals that served as a launching pad for many an awards contender the past couple of months. However, many felt Bombshell had the potential to shake up the Oscar race, given its extremely timely subject matter and all-star cast headlined by Oscar winners and nominees like Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, and Margot Robbie. The only question was if the final product could live up to its promise.
Bombshell held its first screenings earlier this week, and so far word is very positive. Critics on hand praised the film on multiple levels, citing the writing and performances among its strongest assets. From the looks of it, Bombshell is a legitimate Best Picture contender as awards season heats up, which will make it even more of a must-see when it hits theaters this December. Over the summer, viewers got their first look at the film with a tense teaser trailer, and now a full preview has been revealed.
Theron, Kidman, and Robbie were all guests on Ellen today, where they debuted the new Bombshell trailer. You can watch it in the space below:
Beginning with a darkly comic rundown of what makes a typical Fox News story (supplied by the incomparable Kate McKinnon), the trailer outlines the various issues plaguing the network. From the looks of it, each member of the main trio has their own storyline to carry; Kidman’s Gretchen Carlson is growing sick and tired of working in a misogynistic environment, Theron’s Megyn Kelly finds herself in the crosshairs of Donald Trump, and Robbie’s Kayla Pospisil is eager to move up in her career, but has to show her loyalty to Fox first. It appears as if all these subplots will weave together for a larger, overarching narrative, similar to Bombshell writer Charles Randolph’s The Big Short. Randolph won an Oscar for his thoughtful and (at times) entertaining takedown of the 2008 housing crisis, so one can only hope he’s successful here as well.
In a way, Lionsgate’s decision to bypass the fall festival rush was smart. Instead of being lost in a sea of multiple Oscar contenders trying to make some noise, Bombshell pounced when the festival discourse died down and got to have the spotlight all to itself. This strategy’s led to Theron and Robbie catapulting to the top of their respective acting races as people continue to rave about the film. It’ll be interesting to see how much success Bombshell has in securing nominations, but it looks to be a serious threat to keep an eye on.
Source: Lionsgate, Ellen
More: Screen Rant 2020 Best Actress Predictions
- Bombshell Release Date: 2019-12-20
