Washington, McDormand stun in 'The Tragedy of Macbeth' trailer

Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand stun in 'The Tragedy of Macbeth' trailer

By Megan Armstrong | Last updated Sep 21, 2021 3:22 PM ET

It's going to be a very Denzel Washington Christmas.

"A Journal for Jordan," directed by Washington and starring Michael B. Jordan, will hit theaters around the holiday, and then "The Tragedy of Macbeth" will make its theatrical debut on Christmas Day.

"The Tragedy of Macbeth" stars Washington as Lord Macbeth and Frances McDormand as Lady Macbeth. The official trailer arrived Tuesday, and it's a stunner.

The black-and-white clip packs a high-art punch in just 55 seconds.

"By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes," an off-camera witch ominously says. We see a grin spread across Lord Macbeth's face, someone pick up a crown from the ground and a paranoid Lady Macbeth look over her shoulder.

Directed and written for the screen by Joel Coen — his solo directorial debut, stepping out from under the massively acclaimed Coen Brothers umbrella — The "Tragedy of Macbeth" is an adaptation of the William Shakespeare play. The A24 and Apple film will have its Christmas theatrical release before beginning to stream exclusively on Apple TV Plus on Jan. 14.

The cast surrounding McDormand and Washington includes Brendan Gleeson, Corey Hawkins, Moses Ingram, Harry Melling and Ralph Ineson.

Megan Armstrong

Megan Armstrong (@megankarmstrong) is a writer whose work has appeared in places such as Billboard, GQ, Esquire, Bleacher Report, Uproxx, and others. Megan has also produced various podcasts and hosted a daily radio show at Mizzou. She grew up obsessed with sports — impressing adults by memorizing NFL statistics as a kindergartner — and grew into an obsession with music

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