Matt Damon and Adam Driver have a score to settle in the first trailer for Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel, the delayed medieval epic from the Oscar-nominated director. While the boys will fight it out, it’s Jodie Comer who looks to be the focal point of the plot and possibly the movie’s true star.
The Last Duel is based on a true story set in France during the rule of King Charles VI, where Knight Jean de Carrouges (Damon) must challenge his former squire (Adam Driver, with a look reminiscent from one of his SNL hosting skits) to a duel after Carrouges’ wife Marguerite (Comer) accuses the squire of attacking her. However, as the trailer shows, the question of whether she is telling the truth is as dangerous as the two men’s fight.
Ben Affleck also stars in the film, which he wrote alongside Damon (their first script together since Good Will Hunting) and Nicole Holofcener (Enough Said, Can You Ever Forgive Me?).
The trailer previews a film that looks to be almost as epic as Gladiator with a story that obviously has reverberations in today’s society as well. Comer steals the spotlight though. The Killing Eve star could have a big 2021 with the blockbuster Free Guy in August and then The Last Duel on Oct. 15.
Watch the full trailer below.
The Last Duel was originally planned to be released in 2020, but the pandemic shifted the schedule around for so many movies, and 20th Century Studios opted for a push into 2021.
The fall release date and the pedigree of those involved will likely put The Last Duel at least in the initial conversation for end-of-year awards.
The Last Duel will hit theaters on Oct. 15, where again it will play exclusively. When it makes its debut on streaming though likely a couple months later, the likeliest spot for it to land is Hulu, which has been the home for the more adult-themed titles under the Disney corporate banner (of which 20th Century Studios falls) rather than Disney Plus.
