A summit of influential male billionaires is under way in the first teaser trailer for Mountainhead.
HBO unveiled the extended look at the first feature from the Succession creator Jesse Armstrong on Tuesday, which stars Steve Carell, Cory Michael Smith, Ramy Youssef and Jason Schwartzman as a group of billionaire friends who meet at an alpine retreat during an international crisis.
The teaser finds the group jostling with each other at a sterile mountain house reminiscent of Succession’s Argestes retreat. “Have you seen what your net worth is doing?” Smith’s character says to Youssef’s, who replies: “Your platform is racist and shitty.” But playful banter and group activities, such as a snowmobile outing in matching uniforms, gives way to seemingly intense conflict – and a call from the US president as social unrest erupts in numerous countries, glimpsed in mock CNN news reports.
The film, which will air on 31 May and see simultaneous release on the streaming service Max, also stars Moxie’s Hadley Robinson and comedian Andy Daly. Armstrong directed the feature from his own script with an incredibly fast turnaround: production only commenced in Park City, Utah, in March and wrapped earlier this month.
Though Mountainhead marks his feature directorial debut, he has previously contributed as a writer on films such as In The Loop, Downhill and The Day Shall Come.
The film comes two years after he wrapped Succession, a prestige TV juggernaut considered by some the defining show of the Trump era. Over the course of its four seasons from 2018 to 2023, Succession garnered 75 Emmy nominations and 19 wins, including three for best drama series.
The show also launched talent in front of and behind the camera to awards acclaim. Kieran Culkin, who played youngest brother Roman Roy, won the best supporting actor Oscar this year for A Real Pain, competing against co-star and multiple Emmy winner Jeremy Strong.
The Succession writer Francesca Gardiner and frequent director Mark Mylod will helm HBO’s new Harry Potter television series as showrunner and director, respectively. And actor Sarah Snook is currently starring on Broadway in The Picture of Dorian Gray, after a critically acclaimed run playing 26 characters in the West End.
Source: theguardian.com
