'Death on the Nile' trailer out; Armie Hammer still featured
What's the story
The trailer for Disney/20th Century Studios' Death on the Nile is out, promising us a period detective film. The tale is based on Agatha Christie's 1937 novel and it has been directed by and stars five-time Academy Award nominee Kenneth Branagh. The studio attempted to hide sexual assault accused Armie Hammer in the trailer of ensemble movie but he's still featured. Here's a breakdown.
Trailer
Events take place on extravagant cruise across River Nile
The over two-minute-long clip begins with the introduction of newlyweds Mr. and Mrs. Simon Doyle (Hammer and Gal Gadot) throwing an extravagant party on a cruise. Among rich and esteemed guests, an invite has also been extended to famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot (Branagh). As Poirot soon realizes, the invite isn't just for the fun and that his detective skills would come in handy.
Cast
Star-studded cast includes Annette Bening, Ali Fazal, Rose Leslie
Somebody on the luxurious S.S. Karnak gets murdered and Poirot must find out who. Much like 2017's Murder on the Orient Express, we see the sleuth interrogate every passenger and try to find out their hidden motives. Hammer's face is craftily hidden in this. The cast includes Tom Bateman, four-time Oscar nominee Annette Bening, Russell Brand, Ali Fazal, Rose Leslie, and Emma Mackey.
Twitter Post
'Every passenger has a motive'
Every passenger has a motive. Watch the new trailer for #DeathOnTheNile, in theaters February 11. pic.twitter.com/1fGE7kRRdf
— Death on the Nile (@DOTNMovie) December 21, 2021
Controversy
Makers cut out Hammer's facial shots but did it help?
Earlier this year, Hammer had been accused of rape and sexual assault by a 24-year-old woman. This led him to pull out of certain projects and get dropped by his agency WME. However, Death on the Nile had been reportedly shot much before this issue came up and the makers reportedly could not find a feasible solution to recast him. Thus, the "face-edited" trailer.
Twitter Post
Several Twitter users noted how Hammer 'wasn't shown' in trailer
the new Death on the Nile trailer really said "we know Armie Hammer is still in the movie, but we're not showing you Armie Hammer is still in the movie" pic.twitter.com/1JWw7yH60G
— Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) December 21, 2021
Speculation
We don't know if film will edit out his close-ups
But the Call Me By Your Name actor has not been dropped out of the credits or the poster of the film. To note, alongside the rape allegation, multiple women have come out to accuse Hammer of "emotional abuse, manipulation, and coercion." We don't know if the movie will have his close-up shots cleverly cut out too. The film comes to theaters in February.