'News Of The World' Trailer: Greengrass Tackles The Western

Paul Greengrass proves that the star-led western is a still a commercially viable genre by successfully imitating the likes of John Ford and Clint Eastwood in his own, unique way

Tom Hanks in 'News of The World' (CREDIT: Universal)

                     by Jack Linsdell

Contrary to popular belief, audiences will still show up in large enough numbers in movie theatres to see exercises in genre filmmaking. Sure, "superhero mania" may be driving the market in the form of the latest Marvel or DC blockbuster. However, with the right movie star, an auteur filmmaker and a fun/crowd-pleasing tone, the live-action musical, the filmmaker-driven horror and the star-led western are just as viable commercial sells for studios. That's why a remake of True Grit ($252 million on a $38 million budget) or a big-budget Beauty and the Beast adaption ($1.2 billion) makes more than original dramas like Hail Caesar! ($63 million/$22 million budget) and The Good Liar ($33 million/$10 million budget). But, whilst Disney and Blumhouse are (respectively) keeping the musical and horror genres alive, the western has been somewhat neglected in recent years. 

This week, Universal gave us the first "look" at Paul Greengrass' News of the World and subsequently made my week. The minute-long teaser not only proclaimed this was Greengrass' latest project, but that News of the World is sure as hell coming to theatres this Christmas. After all the release date delays for 2020's biggest movies (Black Widow, No Time To Die, Wonder Woman 1984) and shifts to PVOD/streaming for all of it's smallest flicks (Bill & Ted Face The Music, Irresistible), this counts as a big news. But, the fact that this is the first big-budget western since Scott Cooper's Hostiles in 2017 and that's it's coming to theatres in a time when theatrical release has become a rare luxury, is deeply ironic. Anyway, providing everything works out, News of the World is will open in domestic theatrical release in December this year, before UK cinemas show it in January 2020. 

The reason why? Well...Universal is quite clearly pushing News of the World to be the "next" True Grit. If you remember, the Coen Brothers' much acclaimed western remake opened domestically on 22 December 2010 (Greengrass' flick will open the 25th). After doubling it's pre-release opening weekend expectations with $25 million, the film legged it out to an insane $171 million domestic total, besting No Country for Old Men to become the highest grossing Coen Brothers movie ever. At the time, it was the second biggest grossing western of all time behind Dances with Wolves (it now sits in fourth place having been passed by Djanjo Unchained and The Lone Ranger), with an impressive $252 million worldwide cume. The Matt Damon/Jeff Bridges/Josh Brolin flick also became a big Oscar contender, earning 10 nominations including Best Supporting Actress for breakout star Hailee Steinfeld (the youngest actresses ever to be nominated). The film may be more star-led and pulpier in tone than Universal's upcoming flick, but it still shares the same values of being a big-budget western, with a marquee director well known to the Oscars and a lead star whose a regular at the ceremony too. 

Paul Greengrass on set of 'News of the World' (CREDIT: Universal)

News of the World marks the second collaboration between Greengrass and Tom Hanks after their terrific true-life thriller Captain Phillips in 2013 (also a Best Picture nominee). Here, Hanks plays the fictional Captain Jefferson Kidd, a widower and veteran of three wars (including the recently finished Civil War) who travels around the wild west sharing gripping news stories with isolated townsfolk. On the Texas plains, he crosses paths with Johanna (Helena Zengal), a young Kiowa native girl whose being returned to her Aunt and Uncle. Kidd agrees the accompany her to where the law says she belongs, but the journey is fraught with challenges and obstacles of both human and natural origins. Sounds exciting right? The trailer certainly hints at an excellent two hander between Hanks (whose always so damn good) and Zengal, with gorgeous cinematography courtesy of Dariusz Wolski and a emotionally moving score by James Newton Howard. I'm certainly excited. 

Not only is News of the World a departure from the two types of movies Greengrass makes (low-budget, "moment by moment" depictions of true life terrorist events and blockbuster popcorn entertainments grounded in the real word), but it's also his first out and out genre movie too. The trailer also shows that Greengrass has continued developing as a filmmaker, each movie toning down his "on the run" aesthetic into a more sophisticated, mature style. For Hanks, this is his first western too, making this a bit of a career first for the Hollywood star.

Anyway, whether News of the World actually becomes a leggy, acclaimed Oscar contender remains to be seen. However, considering the lack of big Oscar-friendly releases this year (Spielberg's West Side Story got pushed to 2021), Greengrass and Hanks might make it two out of two for Best Picture nominations. I'd argue this is the only reason Universal is sticking to the December theatrical release this year because they know News of the World may be the only game in town at this year's Academy Awards. Either way, it looks good, and most importantly, Greengrass and the western are back. I can't think of a headline more impressive than that.