Jude Law is taking on a king-size role in Firebrand, a 2024 new movie that takes a look at one of England's most famous monarchs, Henry VIII, and his final wife, Katherine Parr, played in the movie by Alicia Vikander.
The movie was actually first screened all the way back in spring 2023 at the Cannes Film Festival, where it was in the running for the fest's top prize, the Palme d'Or. Now general moviegoers have the chance to see the movie.
Here is everything you need to know about Firebrand.
Firebrand release date
Firebrand premieres exclusively in US and UK movie theaters on June 14.
It is the more adult option of the week, as the other new release is Pixar's Inside Out 2.
Firebrand cast
We've already mentioned the two main stars: Jude Law playing Henry VIII and Alicia Vikander as his final wife, Katherine Parr.
Law is a two-time Oscar-nominated actor (The Talented Mr. Ripley, Cold Mountain), whose most recent movies have included Peter Pan & Wendy, where he played Captain Hook, and the Fantastic Beast franchise, where he played the young Dumbledore. He's also set to join the Star Wars universe as part of Skeleton Crew, an upcoming TV series.
Vikander is herself an Oscar winner for The Danish Girl, with some of her other well known roles including Ex Machina and as Lara Croft in Tomb Raider. Recently she has starred in the limited TV series Irma Vep, the Netflix original movie Beckett and the A24 movie The Green Knight.
Others in the Firebrand cast include Eddie Marsan (Fair Play), Sam Riley (The Vault), Simon Russell Beale (Thor: Love and Thunder) and Erin Doherty (The Crown).
Firebrand plot
The movie is based on the novel Queen's Gambit by Elizabeth Fremantle (not to be confused with The Queen's Gambit), adapted for the big screen by Henrietta Ashworth and Jessica Ashworth. Here is the official synopsis:
"In blood-soaked Tudor England, twice married, accomplished and educated Katherine Parr, reluctantly agrees to become the sixth wife of the tyrannical King Henry VIII. Her consent to marry him carries great personal risk, given that her predecessors are either vanquished, beheaded or dead. When Henry appoints her as Regent, the nation's ruler during his absence when he departs to fight overseas, he lays a dangerous path for her. Henry's courtiers, suspecting she's sympathetic to radical Protestant beliefs that have taken root in the kingdom and are a threat to their power, scheme against her and cast doubts upon her fidelity to the increasingly ailing and paranoid king. Once Henry returns to England, his courtiers convince him to turn his fury on the nation's radicals, including Katherine's childhood friend Anne Askew, who becomes one of the scores of people convicted of treason and burned at the stake. Horrified and privately grieving, Katherine finds herself under ever-increasing scrutiny and suspicion. Knowing that even a whisper of scandal might lead to her downfall, Katherine must unleash her own scheme to fight for survival."
Firebrand trailer
Firebrand brings the heat to Tudor England, as the trailer for the movie gives off period thriller vibes as Vikander's Katherine and Law's Henry VIII go toe-to-toe for the future of the kingdom:
Firebrand reviews
Firebrand is splitting critics, as it has received 51% positive reviews from critics on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes as of June 13, though that does classify the movie as "Rotten" by the site's standards.
A lot of the criticism points back to the script, though Law's performance is often cited as a standout.
Firebrand director
Karim Aïnouz is the director of Firebrand. This is his English-language debut as a director, as most of his other movies — Mariner of the Mountains, Invisible Life and more — were in Portuguese.
