With HBO’s Westworld the latest pop culture obsession, Anthony Hopkins is the hottest he’s been in years. But will it help draw audiences to Solace? In development for more than a decade, the thriller was shot three years ago and had its world premiere at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival before being shelved due to the Relativity Media bankruptcy. At that time, the movie didn’t receive great reviews, either.
Fortunately, the delay in Solace‘s release has put some distance between the bad buzz and this new trailer, which will appeal to fans of 1990s serial killer thrillers. For one thing it showcases Hopkins as a psychic working with the FBI on a hunt for a mass murderer, kind of reminiscent of The Silence of the Lambs except he’s a good guy and has special powers. For another thing, it looks a lot like a copy of Se7en, which makes sense because the script was originally written as a sequel to that David Fincher classic.
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As you can see in the trailer above, Hopkins is joined in the movie by Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Abbie Cornish as the agents he’s working with, plus Hopkins’s Alexander co-star Colin Farrell, who isn’t seen much in this spot. He plays the killer, so it’s understandable they’re keeping him hidden. But it’s also clearly not the sort of mystery thriller where you’re supposed to guess whodunit. Brazilian director Afonso Poyart (Two Rabbits) is at the helm making his Hollywood debut.
Lionsgate is finally putting Solace out in theaters and on VOD on December 16.