The official trailer for Antebellum is released, along with a new poster. Written and directed by Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz, Antebellum revolves around the character of Veronica Henley. Portrayed by Janelle Monáe, Veronica is a popular author that finds herself trapped in a terrifying reality. Antebellum marks the directorial debut for Bush and Renz. Previously, the duo had collaborated on a music video for Jay-Z. They also helmed the short film 17. Merging story with original music, 17 followed a young man that is on the cusp of a college scholarship when he is fatally wounded. The short film was released on Tidal, the streaming service owned by Jay-Z, on the fifth anniversary of Trayvon Martin’s death.
Antebellum maintains the focus of Bush and Renz on issues of race and racism, though the overall scope of the film has been kept under wraps. From the first teaser for the movie, which debuted back in November, it seemed that Veronica was fighting off the ghosts of slavery. Clocking in at just under a minute, the teaser seemed to confirm two separate timelines for Antebellum: modern times and the pre-Civil War era. The first glimpse of Antebellum also warned, ominously, that “if it chooses you… nothing can save you.”
The official trailer of Antebellum is now released from Lionsgate Movies, along with a new poster. Although it’s even shorter than the teaser, featuring just 35 seconds of footage, it does show a bit of Veronica’s life before she ended up caught in a nightmare. There are also a few hints about the film’s two separate timelines, although the sense of vagueness is still carefully maintained. Check out the trailer and the poster below.
Monáe is joined in Antebellum by Jena Malone, Jack Huston, Kiersey Clemons, Tongayi Chirisa, and Gabourey Sidibe. Distributed by Lionsgate, the film is produced by Sean McKittrick and Raymond Mansfield. Mansfield worked as an executive producer on Get Out, while Sean McKittrick was one of the producers on both Get Out and Us. Part of the wisdom of Antebellum is, obviously, to play up its connection with two of the most successful horror movies in recent years.
Less obviously, and perhaps counterintuitively in the eyes of some, Antebellum remains committed to its secretive marketing strategy. It certainly serves as a contrast. While recent titles like Fantasy Island, The Invisible Man, and Brahms: The Boy 2, have all offered up trailers that seem to reveal the story all the way up to the third act, Antebellum appears content to offer potential moviegoers only hints of what it’s really about. That may change with the release of a full, standard trailer. But so far, Antebellum has garnered attention precisely because of its different approach to advertising.
More: Antebellum: What We Know So Far
Source: Lionsgate Movies
- Antebellum Release Date: 2020-09-18
