Entertainment Weekly has released an exclusive first look at Angelina Jolie in director Taylor Sheridan’s next gritty Western drama, Those Who Wish Me Dead.
The film — based on Michael Koryta’s 2014 novel of the same name— stars Jolie as Hannah, a skilled smoke jumper trained to parachute into Montana wildfires to calm the flames. Still struggling with the trauma of a recent failed mission, Hannah encounters 12-year-old Connor (Finn Little), who is on the run from two assassins played by Nicholas Hoult and Aidan Gillen. The two then become swept up in an escape for survival that is sure to be another pulse-pounding thriller from Sheridan.
The images released from Warner Bros. show a tense Jolie in full wildfire-fighting gear, as well as comforting a dirtied and distraught Little on the forest floor. While Jolie is no stranger to big action films, Those Who Wish Me Dead will likely focus far less on spectacle and much more on the complex character work and powerful themes found within Sheridan’s writing.
This first look also aligns with everything audiences have come to expect from a Sheridan film. The Oscar-nominated writer and director has made a name for himself as one of the most important suspense storytellers today. From Sicario to Hell or High Water to his directorial debut, Wind River, Sheridan has rightfully garnered esteem for his ability to write smart, socially conscious, edge-of-your-seat thrillers that have brought new life to the Western genre and pushed it forward for modern times. Those Who Wish Me Dead looks like it will have the same grit, intensity, and depth for which Sheridan is known.
Those Who Wish Me Dead is scheduled to debut in theaters and HBO Max on May 14, with the first trailer planned for release tomorrow.
Check out the images below, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly.
