A brand new William Shakespeare film directed by an Oscar winner has debuted with an ideal rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Shakespeare is probably essentially the most notable playwright within the English language, having penned iconic Elizabethan dramas, histories, and comedies together with Hamlet, A Midsummer Evening’s Dream, Richard III, Macbeth, and Romeo and Juliet.
Innumerable motion pictures tailored from Shakespeare performs have hit the display from the very starting of the artwork type. These vary from early silent motion pictures like 1916’s The Service provider of Venice to trendy variations akin to 1999’s 10 Issues I Hate About You (reimagining The Taming of the Shrew) and 2006’s She’s the Man (reimagining Twelfth Evening).
Nevertheless, there are additionally a variety of motion pictures telling the story of Shakespeare himself. One of the crucial outstanding is 1998’s Shakespeare in Love, which starred Joseph Fiennes within the title position and gained seven Oscars, together with Greatest Image. Different motion pictures presenting totally different visions of his life embrace 2011’s Nameless and a brand new title that simply debuted on Rotten Tomatoes.
Critics Are Applauding Hamnet
Hamnet has formally debuted on Rotten Tomatoes. The brand new film was directed and co-written by two-time Oscar winner Chloé Zhao (Nomadland) and boasts a star-studded solid that features three Oscar nominees, specifically Paul Mescal (Aftersun), Jessie Buckley (The Misplaced Daughter), and Emily Watson (Breaking the Waves, Hilary and Jackie).
The upcoming Hamnet is a fictionalized tackle the lifetime of William Shakespeare, tailored by Zhao and Maggie O’Farrell from O’Farrell’s 2020 novel of the identical title. It follows William Shakespeare (Mescal) and his spouse Agnes (Buckley), who has renamed from her most typical traditionally acknowledged title Anne Hathaway, reeling from the demise of their son Hamnet.
Though 2025’s Hamnet won’t debut in home theaters till November 27, it had its world premiere at Telluride on August 29, so early opinions for the film have already come flooding in.
Now, Rotten Tomatoes has aggregated sufficient opinions for the film to earn an official rating on the Tomatometer. Whereas the rating might fluctuate as extra opinions are added, on the time of writing, 10 totally different critics have weighed in to offer the film an ideal 100% rating.
The person opinions are additionally strongly optimistic, with the film incomes scores akin to 8 out of 10, 3.5 out of 4, and A- (twice) due to its charming lead performances and professional path.
What This Means For Hamnet
Ought to Hamnet preserve its 100% rating, it can grow to be the best-reviewed film ever for Zhao and Mescal, and tie for the most effective for Buckley (with Blue Street: The Edna O’Brien Story) and Watson (with The Dresser). This, plus its awards-friendly November launch date, might imply that the William Shakespeare film will probably be a robust contender on the subsequent Academy Awards.
Hamnet
- Launch Date
-
November 27, 2025
- Director
-
Chloé Zhao
- Writers
-
Chloé Zhao, Maggie O’Farrell
- Producers
-
Liza Marshall, Pippa Harris, Sam Mendes, Steven Spielberg, Nicolas Gonda
-
Jessie Buckley
Agnes Shakespeare
-
-
Emily Watson
Mary Shakespeare
-