Angelina Jolie takes center stage in the first trailer forMaria, her first movie in three years. Directed by Pablo Larraín,Mariastars Jolie as real-life opera singer Maria Callas, chronicling the figure’s final days in Paris in the 1970s. The film, which was written by Steven Knight, recently premiered at the Venice Film Festival.Mariamarks Jolie’s first movie since appearing as Thena inEternals(2021).
Now,Netflixreleases the first trailer forMaria, providing a new look at Jolie as the iconic singer.The trailer reveals Larraín’s old-school approach to capturing the figure’s life, including different film stocks, seemingly for the different periods of Callas' life. Some of the film’s supporting cast members are also briefly shown off in the trailer, including Haluk Bilginer, Pierfrancesco Favino, and Alba Rohrwacher. Though the trailer doesn’t include a firm release date, it does tease that the film is “coming soon” to movie theaters. Check out the trailer below:
How Maria Has Been Received So Far
Jolie is obviously now being more selective regarding what roles she takes on, giving more weight to the projects she does appear in. In a recent interview withVanity Fair, Jolie explained why she took such a long break from acting, saying simply: “I needed to be home more with my kids.”ThatMariawas a project she couldn’t pass up speaks to the film’s importance to herand Larraín’s stature as a filmmaker, and the trailer certainly looks to be painting a serious and thoughtful portrayal of Callas' life.
Larraín’s previous projects includeEl Conde(2024),Spencer(2021), andEma(2019).
10 Best Biopic Movies Of All Time
The biopic genre is one of the hardest to master, meaning that the greatest stand out above the rest for their detailed & skilled portrayals.
Though general audiences haven’t yet gotten a chance to seeMaria, the film’s reception out of its Venice premiere does provide some idea of how Jolie’s collaboration with Larraín has turned out. The film currently enjoys a positive 75% onRotten Tomatoesfrom 44 reviews, indicating a generally positive reception. From the trailer alone,Mariadoes look like a film that will garner award recognition, particularly forJolie’s lead performance.
Our Take On The Maria Trailer
Will Maria Be Another Maestro?
At first glance,Mariaseems to have a lot in common withBradley Cooper’sMaestro(2023), in which he played composer Leonard Bernstein.Maestroused different film stocks for the different periods of Bernstein’s life, with Cooper himself really transforming for the project. Despite being nominated for seven Oscars, however, including Best Picture and Best Actor,Maestrowalked away empty-handed.
It’s not clear ifMariawill suffer the same fate, but the critical response thus far has been about the same, withMaestro, for example, sporting a 78% onRotten Tomatoes. Though positive, it’s clear that both movies have elements that are holding them back from widespread acclaim. At the very least, though, it will be exciting to see Jolie back acting on the big screen again, andMariacertainly looks to feature a powerful lead performance from her.
Maria
Cast
Maria(2024) is a biographical drama about opera singer Maria Callas, directed by Pablo Larraín, starring Angelina Jolie. It concludes Larraín’s trilogy on iconic women.
