Jude Law and Alicia Vikander Transform Into One of the Most Infamous Historical Couples in First ‘Firebrand’ Trailer

Historical movie fans have certainly waited enough for this, but now we can finally say it: the Firebrand trailer is here. First announced all the way back in 2021, the movie stars Jude Law (Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore) and Alicia Vikander (Irma Vep) as one of the most infamous couples in history: Henry VIII and his sixth and last wife, Katherine Parr. The movie had some early screenings last year at film festivals, but now it is set to open in theaters on June 21.

The trailer for Firebrand makes it clear that the story is very much a clash between two elements of human history: The patriarchy, whose members are used to getting what they want without meeting any resistance; and feminism — or any movement that challenges the status quo. You don’t need to know much about history to know that Henry VIII reserved a less than dignified fate for all of his wives and, in the case of Firebrand, Katherine was the one to have to speak up and fight for her own rights.

Of course, this doesn’t come cheap. The trailer also reveals that Katherine pretty quickly put a target on her own back after her attitude made it clear that she wouldn’t tolerate the same kind of abuse that Henry’s previous wives did. Additionally, we can’t take for granted another aspect revealed by the trailer: the stunning costume designs that we love to see in these productions seem to almost have a life of their own. If the movie ends up among the 2025 Oscar nominees in this category, no one will be able to say they’re surprised.

‘Firebrand’ Director Spells Out The Movie’s Message: “Tyrants Need to Go”

Firebrand is directed by Brazilian filmmakerKarim Aïnouz (Futuro Beach), and this marks the director’s first English-language project. Back at the film’s early premiere at Cannes, the director made it pretty clear that even though there are historical inaccuracies in the movie, the point of the story is to “promote an understanding of the violence women have endured over centuries.” Additionally, Firebrand doesn’t ignore that people in positions of power tend to abuse it, and it also takes a shot at modern and past abusive leaders. The director was pretty final with his statements on the interviews: “Patriarchy needs to stop, and tyrants need to go.”Aside from Law and Vikander, Firebrand also stars Simon Russell Beale (House of the Dragon), Patsy Ferran (Living), Erin Doherty (The Crown), Sam Riley (Maleficent: Mistress of Evil) and Eddie Marsan (Ray Donovan).

Firebrand is set to premiere in theaters on June 14. You can watch the trailer above.

Firebrand

History

Drama

Follows Queen Catherine Parr and Henry VIII’s marriage.

Release Date

June 21, 2024

Director

Karim Ainouz

Cast

Jude Law , Alicia Vikander , Eddie Marsan , Erin Doherty

Runtime

120 minutes

Writers

Henrietta Ashworth , Jessica Ashworth , Rosanne Flynn , Elizabeth Fremantle