Emerald Fennell’s feature directorial debut, the four-time Oscar-nominated revenge thriller Promising Young Woman, was a breakout success when it first landed with audiences in 2020 (it also won Fennell an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay). Now, Fennell’s sophomore follow-up is already getting awards buzz.
Saltburn, which will be released in theaters this fall, is both the name of Fennell’s next film and the posh British estate where it’s set. The mystery tells a tale of excess and intrigue among the upper echelons of English society, a world that Fennell is well-versed in having played Camilla Parker Bowles in The Crown. Margot Robbie is producing the film, marking her third collaboration with Fennell—Robbie’s company also produced Promising Young Woman, and Fennell made a cameo as pregnant Midge in Robbie’s mega blockbuster hit Barbie.
It’s also a reunion for Fennell and Carey Mulligan, who starred as the titular Promising Young Woman in what has been hailed as her career highlight. Read on for everything we know about Saltburn so far:
What is Saltburn about?
The 2000s-set film is billed as a mystery, so naturally there isn’t much yet known about the plot. Per a press release, the film is a “beautifully wicked tale of privilege and desire,” and stars Academy Award-nominated Irish actor Barry Keoghan (The Banshees of Inisherin) as Oliver Quick, a student struggling to find his place at Oxford University when he’s drawn into the world of the charming and aristocratic Felix Catton (Euphoria’s Jacob Elordi). Felix invites Oliver to his eccentric family’s sprawling estate, Saltburn, for “a summer never to be forgotten.”
Who is in the Saltburn cast?
In addition to Keoghan and Elordi, Saltburn will also star Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl), Richard E. Grant (Loki), Irish actress Alison Oliver (from Hulu’s 2022 Sally Rooney adaptation of Conversations with Friends), Archie Madekwe (Midsommar), and Carey Mulligan.
Does Saltburn have a trailer?
There’s no trailer yet, though the few first-look images released by MGM give a glimpse into the extravagant and seductive world the film is set in.
When will Saltburn be released?
Saltburn will hit theaters with a limited run starting November 24, 2023 (in time for Thanksgiving weekend), with a wide release following the next week. Being that it’s distributed by Amazon and MGM, it’ll also likely end up streaming on Prime Video at some point—just in time to pick up even more steam before awards season.
On October 4, it will open the 67th British Film Institute’s London Film Festival—a prestigious spot in the festival circuit. “I’m honored that our film is able to open this year’s BFI London Film Festival,” Fennell told Empire Online. “It is a festival that inspired me so much growing up, one that I followed excitedly from my bedroom on the other side of London. It feels extra-special that Saltburn, this very British tale of excess, is able to make its international debut at the wonderful BFI.”