In only her second directorial feature, Olivia Wilde already has the prestige that every director craves, setting the internet in a frenzy after releasing an 11-second teaser for Don’t Worry Darling. Wilde has been a notable actress for most of her career, having starred in projects like House, Tron: Legacy, and Her. In 2019 she became well-known for joining the small list of prominent female directors in Hollywood along with names like Greta Gerwig and Kathryn Bigelow after debuting as a director with Booksmart, a teen comedy about two girls finally breaking loose before graduating from high school.
Booksmart was met with critical acclaim after its release, even holding an outstanding 96% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Certain critics even called Booksmart the best high school buddy comedy since Superbad, which is ironic since that starred Beanie Feldstein’s brother Jonah Hill 10 years earlier. The immediate success of Wilde’s directorial debut was exciting, especially with her casting of up-and-coming stars, which truly set the stage for her future projects. For the past two years since Don’t Worry Darling was announced, Wilde has kept fans at bay, which has been particularly difficult considering the pop culture obsessions over Wilde herself and the film’s two leads, Harry Styles and Florence Pugh.
On September 13, Olivia Wilde dropped a teaser trailer for her highly-anticipated upcoming feature Don’t Worry Darling, which was only 11 seconds long and primarily featured text for the title and release date. A few quick shots are included to hype up fans: Florence Pugh sunbathing, a steamy make-out clip with Pugh and singer Harry Styles, a maniacal Chris Pine, and Pugh’s character seemingly drowning and being suffocated. This sort of promotion is highly unusual, especially for a film that won’t be released for another year, doesn’t come from existing IP, and is only the director’s second film. Some will say it’s because Harry Styles and Florence Pugh are being paired off in a movie, but even established directors with such highly bankable cast members typically include a teaser that goes beyond just the title. Wilde being able to create such a stir for her movie with only an 11-second teaser just proves how much power she holds in the industry.
While Wilde’s Don't Worry Darling announcement teaser isn’t unheard of, it’s not common, typically only being used by directors who have enough established notoriety and clout like Christopher Nolan to gain excitement. Unless accompanied by a full teaser trailer that actually hints at the plot, directors announcing the release date for an upcoming film that’s over a year away is typically done through a press release. Warner Bros. obviously believes in Wilde enough as a director to give her what so many in her position want, the prestige of only a title and release date being put into a promotional video. Nothing has even been revealed about the story and Don’t Worry Darling’s 11-second announcement trailer has fans running wild (pun intended), proving Olivia Wilde has become a top director after only helming one film - something that typically takes directors years and plenty of blockbusters to achieve.
Wilde also obviously knows how to reach her intended audience, with the steamy 1-second part of the trailer with Styles and Pugh being the most discussed aspect that left fans wanting more. Florence Pugh is also on a movie hot streak right now, having built up notoriety through starring in Midsommar, Little Women, and Black Widow, where she arguably stole the show for each. Additionally, Don’t Worry Darling is only Harry Styles’s second film, having previously debuted in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk. Whatever Wilde is doing to get these audience-attracting names and be able to release only an announcement trailer to make it one of the most highly anticipated films of 2022, other directors need to take notes.