Warner Bros. has released a second trailer for its movie adaptation of Donna Tartt's acclaimed novel, The Goldfinch. With the final month of the summer blockbuster season just around the corner, WB (like other studios) is starting to turn its attention to the fall and the awards race to come. Just this week, in fact, they set Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix's Joker to make its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. There, it will be joined by The Goldfinch among the event's Gala Presentations.
Adapted for the screen by writer Peter Straughan (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,) and director John Crowley (Brooklyn), The Goldfinch is a Dickensian story that chronicles the experiences of one Theodore "Theo" Decker, beginning with the death of his mother - who's killed during a terrorist bombing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art - when he's only a boy. In an attempt to streamline Tartt's book, however, the big screen adaptation narrows its focus to Theo's childhood and his life as a young adult (where he's played by Ansel Elgort). The official trailer confirmed as much back in May, as does the latest bit of marketing that arrived this morning.
The Goldfinch trailer #2 is now online and is expected to begin screening in theaters with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood this weekend (along with some of the other movie trailers that've arrived since Monday). You can check it out in the space below.
Unlike the previous trailer, the second preview for The Goldfinch explores the importance of the eponymous painting to its story - namely, that it's the one thing that Theo took from that horrifying, life-changing day in the museum and has tried to hold onto throughout his many trials and tribulations. Speaking of which, the latest trailer affirms that, changes to the source material aside, the movie will carry over many (if not most) of the important characters from Tartt's source material. For example, Luke Wilson and Sarah Paulson briefly appear here as Theo's emotionally abusive father Larry and his sex worker girlfriend Xandra. Meanwhile, Nicole Kidman and Jeffrey Wright get far more substantial screen time as Samantha Barbour (who takes in Theo following his mother's death) and James "Hobie" Hobart (Theo's mentor).
Ashleigh Cummings (NOS4A2) also appears as Pippa, as the new Goldfinch trailer reveals her character's tragic connection to Theo and touches upon their complicated feelings for one another as they grow older. Crowley, in particular, did a great job of handling the various relationships in his Brooklyn adaptation, so that bodes well for his efforts to do justice by the character interactions and dynamics - especially the subplot involving Pippa and Theo - in the story being told here, too. And yes, that's no guarantee that The Goldfinch will be equally successful at adapting other elements of Tartt's Pulizer Prize-winning book, but the early signs are promising so far.
Source: Warner Bros. Pictures
