A ghost of grief drifts through the forest and into Chloé Zhao’s “Hamnet,” where a mother’s loss becomes the fertile ground for art. The film, a lyrical adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s celebrated novel, will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival this fall (and Telluride) and hit U.S. cinemas in November, followed by a wider rollout in December.
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Jessie Buckley plays Agnes Shakespeare, navigating the heart-wrenching death of her son Hamnet, while Paul Mescal embodies William Shakespeare with what should be quiet gravity—which Zhao says grounds the film’s emotional core. The cast includes Joe Alwyn as Bartholomew, Emily Watson as Mary, Jacobi Jupe as Hamnet, Jack Shalloo, David Wilmot, and others.
Co-writing the screenplay with O’Farrell, Zhao embraced what she calls a “grown-up fairy tale” approach—favoring emotional truth over historical precision. She describes working with Buckley and Mescal as alchemy: “They were extremely giving to each other,” Zhao told Vanity Fair.
Buckley found herself untethered upon entering a reconstructed Globe Theatre set, the “mecca of where Hamlet is born.” And composer Max Richter’s score proved essential in unlocking the film’s emotional climax, where audible weeping filled the hush of the theater, according to Zhao, when speaking to the outlet.
Following its festival debut at TIFF, “Hamnet” lands in U.S. theaters via Focus Features on November 27, 2025, with a wider release scheduled for December 12. Check out the first look images below.
