The official trailer for Elsinore arrived September 28. Directed by Simon Stone and written by Stephen Beresford, the film tells the true story of Ian Charleson, the Scottish actor best known for Chariots of Fire, who took on the role of Hamlet at London's National Theatre while living with an AIDS diagnosis.
Andrew Scott plays Charleson. The ensemble includes Olivia Colman, Billie Piper, Johnny Flynn, Joe Locke, Peter Mullan, Juliet Stevenson, David Dawson, and Matthew Beard.
The historical catalyst: Daniel Day-Lewis walked off stage during the National Theatre's production of Hamlet, and the role came to Charleson. The trailer does not soften what that entailed. "The people who come here want to live, Ian. You on the other hand only want to play Hamlet."
The film premiered at Telluride before screening at TIFF. Focus Features releases Elsinore in the US on November 20, 2026. A UK release follows January 29, 2027, through Studiocanal.
Scott has been among the more discussed performers in any conversation about this year's lead actor race since Telluride. Whether a late-November US release date leaves enough runway for the full awards push is the remaining question heading into the fall.