Sometimes, words aren't even necessary. The first trailer for Bombshell dropped on Wednesday, and with just three words and a little over one minute of trailer, the Roger Ailes and Fox News-centric movie said everything it needed to say—hot in here.
The film will star Charlize Theron and Nicole Kidman as Megyn Kelly and Gretchen Carlson, respectively. Margot Robbie rounds out the lead cast as Kayla Pospisil, a fictional associate producer created for the film. Though the trailer offers little more than the three women occupying the same (tense) elevator as (equally tense) music plays in the background, it's clear what the film is getting at.
The plot of Bombshell will follow the groundbreaking 2016 allegations against chairman and CEO of Fox News, Roger Ailes (John Lithgow). In summer of 2016, Carlson came forward with allegations against Ailes, leading to a tumultuous July for the news company. After several more women came forward, Ailes was forced to resign or be fired from the news company. He resigned by month's end.
Though the three women leading the cast have incredible resumes all on their own, there's something particularly haunting about Theron's Megyn Kelly, who looks like a near identical impersonation of the Fox-turned-NBC news anchor.
The Lionsgate film is scheduled for a 20 December release date—perfectly timed for a serious Oscars run. The cast also includes Allison Janney, Connie Britton, and Kate McKinnon. This teaser might have been pretty quiet, but you can bet it caused the temperature to raise at Fox News this morning.
Justin Kirkland is a Brooklyn-based writer who covers culture, food, and the South. Along with Esquire, his work has appeared in NYLON, Vulture, and USA Today.
