Annapurna Pictures has released the excellent first trailer for The Sisters Brothers, the upcoming Western dark comedy based on the novel of the same name by Patrick deWitt. The adaptation hails from Dheepan writer/director Jacques Audiard, making his English-language debut with a stellar cast. Joaquin Phoenix and John C. Reilly play the titular Sisters Brothers, Eli and Charlie Sisters, who are hired guns with a penchant for bickering who are tasked with killing a prospector who has stolen from their boss.

When I first read deWitt’s novel a few years back, the Coen Brothers immediately came to mind—it’s a deeply funny, but also deeply sad book filled with violence, and I’m happy to see that Audiard looks to have struck the perfect tone to capture the spirit of this book. Phoenix and Reilly appear to have perfect chemistry, and I love the casting of Riz Ahmed and Jake Gyllenhaal in the roles of the prospector and the Sisters Brothers’ boss, respectively. This just shot up towards the top of my most anticipated list for 2018.

Check out the Sisters Brothers trailer below. Written by Audiard and Thomas Bidegain, the film is set for release sometime this fall, so expect a debut at one of the major fall film festivals ahead of an awards run.

Here’s the official synopsis for The Sisters Brothers:

Based on Patrick Dewitt's acclaimed novel of the same name, follows two brothers - Eli and Charlie Sisters - who are hired to kill a prospector who has stolen from their boss. The story, a genre-hybrid with comedic elements, takes place in Oregon in 1851. The film is Jacques Audiard's follow-up to his Palme D'Or Winning DHEEPAN, which premiered at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.

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Image via Annapurna Pictures
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Image via Annapurna Pictures

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