After yesterday’s arrival of a fresh-off-the-press poster, we’re already being treated to a trailer for the upcoming fantasy adventure film Three Thousand Years of Longing, and boy, does it look trippy. Led by Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba, the George Miller helmed flick will have all the things the filmmaker is known for — colorful scenery, well-developed characters, and crazy plots that will spin your head around. Based on the short story The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye by A.S. Byatt, the story is a testament to the saying “be careful what you wish for.”
In the trailer, we see happily single, lone wolf Dr. Alithea Binnie (Swinton), beginning to pen her story Three Thousand Years of Longing, and telling the audience that they may not believe her strange tale. While at the Grand Bazaar of Istanbul, Dr. Binnie decides she’ll treat herself to a beautiful keepsake — a piece of handcrafted blue and white glass. It’s through this memento that she meets a powerful and wondrous Djinn (Elba), who promises to deliver her deepest wants via a set of three wishes.
Uncertain of the Djinn’s intentions, the scholarly Dr. Binnie holds off on her winnings until she can better be sure that no harm will befall her. Mixing the past with the present, viewers are taken on a ride alongside the Djinn and Dr. Binnie as he hopes to show her that some wishes may be worth the risk. Along with its fantastical and dramatic overtones, the trailer also reveals a buddy comedy of sorts as Dr. Binnie and the Djinn can be seen hanging out in bathrobes and spiraling through mind melding universes together.
Known for hit films including those of the Mad Max franchise, Happy Feet, and The Witches of Eastwick, Miller’s newest musing promises to live up to the hype that the director is known for. Miller penned the script alongside Augusta Gore with an executive production team made up of Dean Hood, Craig McMahon, and Kevin Sun. Another thing that jumped out to us in the trailer is the film’s unique and upbeat soundtrack, which was composed by Grammy Award nominee Tom Holkenborg. A frequent collaborator with Miller, Holkenborg’s music can be heard in features including Mad Max Fury Road, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
The high action trailer left us with just as many questions as answers, and now we’re wishing the film was being released sooner. Unfortunately, with no Djinn present, we’ll need to wait until this summer blockbuster hits screens on August 31. Check out the trailer below.