The official trailer for Rosaline shows Kaitlyn Dever scheming to break up one of the most iconic romances in Western literature: Romeo and Juliet. The 1597 romantic tragedy Romeo and Juliet is one of the most well-known works by legendary playwright William Shakespeare, inspired by the Italian story The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet, translated by Arthur Brooke in 1562. It follows the star-crossed love of two young people whose families are locked in a deadly feud with one another. Although the character of Rosaline is never seen in the play, she plays a major part in the narrative, as she and Romeo have just split up before he meets his future beloved at a party and pursues her in Romeo and Juliet's iconic balcony scene.
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The Hulu film Rosaline, which was directed by Obvious Child screenwriter Karen Maine and debuts on October 14, will focus on that long-ignored character from the Romeo and Juliet canon. In a move that seems to be blending the Tom Stoppard Hamlet spinoff Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead with the modernized humor of Netflix's recent Jane Austen adaptation Persuasion, the film will follow modern rom-com tropes as a bitter Rosaline, played by Booksmart and Dear Evan Hansen star Kaitlyn Dever, attempts to break up Romeo (West Side Story's Kyle Allen) and Juliet (Dora and the Lost City of Gold's Isabela Merced). The cast also includes Bradley Whitford as Friar Laurence, Spencer Stevenson as Paris, and Good Will Hunting's Minnie Driver as The Nurse.
Today, Hulu released the official trailer for Rosaline. It opens on the iconic balcony scene, refocusing to reveal that Rosaline is clinging to the railing spying on Romeo and Juliet, cursing them out. It goes on to reveal its signature blend of modern humor and classic romance as Rosaline enacts a Do Revenge style plan to get Romeo back, though a brand-new love interest played by Sean Teale might just get in the way of that. Check out the trailer below:
The trailer seems perfectly designed to appeal to high school students who were recently assigned Romeo and Juliet in English class. Although it looks like it will fudge the character dynamics and events of the play considerably, it certainly seems like it will play even better for anyone who knows and loves the original source material. It brings a modern sensibility and a brand new angle to the classic work that will allow newfound Shakespeare obsessives another viewing option after finishing the Leonardo DiCaprio Romeo + Juliet.
It seems like Rosaline will give Dever an opportunity to nab a starring role that is within her young adult wheelhouse but offers something new for her to bring to the table. She hasn't frequently been given opportunities to show off the comic chops she brought to Booksmart, as she has largely held roles in a lot of recent TV dramas like Dopesick and Unbelievable. This new project has a premise so wacky that she will have the chance to show off a sign of her that is fairly rarely seen.