Amazon unveils a trailer for The Last Tycoon and announces the series' premiere date. Though Netflix once dominated conversations around original streaming content, its main competitors, Hulu and Amazon Prime, have been working hard to catch up. Hulu is dominating headlines now thanks to The Handmaid's Tale, which just leaves Amazon Prime to really make waves. Though the streaming site has been producing critically acclaimed content (like Transparent and Mozart in the Jungle) for years, they've yet to have a real mainstream hit - but all of that might change, thanks to an intriguing upcoming show.
The Last Tycoon, based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's final novel before his untimely death, promises to be a period drama of HBO proportions (literally, since it was originally slated for production with HBO). The show stars Matt Bomer as Monroe, a Hollywood bigwig looking to shake things up despite the tumultuous forces at play in 1930s America. The series sports an impressive cast: Kelsey Grammer, Lily Collins, Rosemarie DeWitt, and Jennifer Beals also star.
Intrigued and looking to see more? You're in luck, since Amazon dropped the first official trailer for The Last Tycoon earlier today, along with a premiere date announcement and synopsis. You can check out the trailer, in all its hectic, sexed-up glory, above. The official synopsis for the show, which will premiere July 28, is as follows:
From F. Scott Fitzgerald’s last work, which celebrated its 75th anniversary last year, The Last Tycoon—inspired by the life of legendary film mogul Irving Thalberg—follows Hollywood’s Golden Boy, Monroe Stahr (Matt Bomer) as he battles father figure and boss, Pat Brady (Kelsey Grammer) for the soul of their studio. In a world darkened by the Great Depression and the growing international influence of Hitler’s Germany, The Last Tycoon illuminates the passions, violence, and towering ambition of 1930s Hollywood.
This preview packs a few surprises, mainly because of the show's standout cast. Collins (Okja, The Mortal Instruments) is primed for a standout performance as Celia, a young aspiring producer and daughter to Pat, and Jennifer Beals (The L Word) shines as mysterious and crafty star Margo Taft. Billy Ray (The Hunger Games, Captain Phillips) developed the show, and will also direct several episodes.
This is certainly an attention-grabbing trailer, and it's easy to see why this show had HBO roots. From tantalizing sex scenes to wild party montages, this film is definitely influenced by Fitzgerald - though that's not always a good thing, if, for instance, you like female characters with agency. This is a loose adaptation though, so here's hoping that the series offers a twist on its source material that really delves into the depths of these characters. There was already rich fodder to work from when adapting Monroe and Pat, but it will be interesting to see how the show portrays Celia, Margot, and Monroe's lover, Kathleen.
Old-school opulence is always a crowd pleaser, so Amazon may have found their mainstream gem in The Last Tycoon. We'll just have to wait and see what fans and critics think when the series debuts later this summer.
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The Last Tycoon premieres on Amazon Video starting July 28.
Source: Amazon