Warner Bros. has released the first trailer for The Good Liar. Bill Condon’s upcoming film stars Ian McKellen as a lifelong con artist who starts to woo a wealthy widow (Helen Mirren), but as he starts to develop genuine feelings for her, his world begins to spiral out of control.

While I’m not a die-hard Bill Condon fan, his collaborations with McKellen tend to be pretty special when McKellen has a leading role (when he doesn’t, you get Beauty and the Beast). McKellen rarely gets leading roles, and that’s a shame because you can see how magnificent he comes off here. I could just listen to his voice and the seductive and tragic quality he brings to his roles helps give them a unique flavor. This movie wasn’t previously on my radar, but now it is thanks to McKellen.

Check out The Good Liar trailer below. The film also stars Russell Tovey and Jim Carter, and opens November 15th.

Here’s the official synopsis for The Good Liar:

The New Line Cinema drama “The Good Liar” pairs Oscar winner Helen Mirren (“The Queen”) and two-time Oscar nominee Ian McKellen (“Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” “Gods and Monsters”) on the big screen for the first time.

 

Bill Condon, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of “Gods and Monsters,” directed and produced the film from a screenplay by Jeffrey Hatcher (“Mr. Holmes”), based on the widely acclaimed novel by Nicholas Searle.

 

Career con artist Roy Courtnay (McKellen) can hardly believe his luck when he meets well-to-do widow Betty McLeish (Mirren) online. As Betty opens her home and life to him, Roy is surprised to find himself caring about her, turning what should be a cut-and-dry swindle into the most treacherous tightrope walk of his life.

 

“The Good Liar” also stars Russell Tovey (TV’s “Quantico”) and Jim Carter (TV’s “Downton Abbey”).

 

Greg Yolen also served as producer, alongside Condon. The executive producers were Richard Brener, Andrea Johnston, Aaron L. Gilbert, Jason Cloth, Anjay Nagpal, Jack Morrissey, and Nick O’Hagan.

 

The creative filmmaking team included director of photography Tobias Schliessler (“Beauty and the Beast,” “Mr. Holmes”), production designer John Stevenson (BAFTA nominee, “Burton and Taylor”), editor Virginia Katz (“Beauty and the Beast,” “Mr. Holmes”), and costume designer Keith Madden (miniseries “Patrick Melrose,” “Mr. Holmes”). The music is composed by two-time Oscar nominee Carter Burwell (“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” “Carol”).

 

“The Good Liar” was filmed on location in London and Berlin. It opens in theatres on Friday, November 15, 2019.

New Line Cinema presents, in association with BRON Creative, a 1000 Eyes Production, a Bill Condon Film, “The Good Liar.” The film will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is rated R for some strong violence, and for language and brief nudity.

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