Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill Inspires WWII-Era Britain to Fight to Win in New 'Darkest Hour' Trailer
It’s been a big year in pop culture for Winston Churchill. He figured prominently in Netflix’s first season of The Crown (played by John Lithgow), and already received one big-screen biopic, with Brian Cox in the role, in June’s Churchill. A second film centered on the World War II-era U.K. prime minister hits the big screen this fall, when Gary Oldman — under mounds of prosthetics — embodies the British hero in Darkest Hour, the all-star period-piece now previewed in its first trailer (watch it above).
Directed by Joe Wright (Atonement, Hanna, Pan), Darkest Hour will focus on Churchill’s leadership when — having risen to power despite considerable opposition — he spearheaded the Allies’ fight against Hitler’s Third Reich. It was a battle against daunting odds, with the Nazis seemingly in position to defeat the British and conquer much of Western Europe, but one that was nonetheless won thanks in considerable part to Churchill’s staunch resolve that England — per the film’s tagline and as seen in this promo — would “never surrender.”
Though one can hear traces of Oldman’s own voice in his performance, he otherwise seems to be convincingly channeling both the look and attitude of his real-life character. And featuring a cast that includes Kristen Scott Thomas, Lily James, and Ben Mendelsohn, Darkest Hour looks like it’s set up to be a big-time awards contender when it arrives in theaters on Nov. 22.
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