When playwrights make the jump to screenwriting, we get films like Kenneth Lonergan’s “You Can Count on Me,” Martin McDonagh’s “In Bruges,” and Tom Stoppard’s “Brazil.” Joining their ranks is Cory Finley, a New York-based playwright who wrote the script for his directorial debut, “Thoroughbreds,” based on his play of the same name. The film electrified Sundance audiences when it premiered in early 2017, when Focus Features snatched it up for $5m in one of the festival’s first deals. Finley’s skill with dramatic writing is apparent in the first official teaser for the film, which looks like a grown-up version of “Heathers” for 2017.
“Thoroughbreds” stars Anton Yelchin in one of his last performances before the actor’s tragic death, as well as Anya Taylor-Joy (“The Witch”) and Olivia Cooke (“Bates Motel”). In the only full scene show in the teaser, the two young women approach Yelchin’s character with a “business proposition,” which necessitates him owning a gun. Tense action music scores quick cuts of tennis games, rubber gloves scrubbing an ornate carpet, and an antique machete hanging on a wood-paneled wall. The film looks fast-paced, witty, and deliciously dark.
Focus Features will release “Thoroughbreds” on March 9, 2018. Check out the trailer below:
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