The trailer for Hulu's new comedy Rosaline stars Kaitlyn Dever as Romeo Montague's ex-girlfriend who wants to break up with him and Juliet.
The official Rosaline trailer shows Kaitlyn Dever plotting 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 best-known works by legendary playwright William Shakespeare, inspired by the Italian story The Tragic Story of Romeus and Juliet, translated by Arthur Brooke in 1562. It follows the ill-fated love of two young people whose families they are locked in a deadly feud with each other. Although Rosaline's character is never seen in the play, she plays an important role in the narrative, as she and Romeo have just broken up before he meets his future love at a party and chases after her in the iconic balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet.
Director: Karen Maine
Writers: Scott Neustadter, Rebecca Serle,William Shakespeare
Stars: Kaitlyn Dever, Bradley Whitfordm, Isabela Merced
The Hulu film Rosaline, which was directed by Obvious Child screenwriter Karen Maine and opens October 14, will focus on that long-ignored character from the Romeo and Juliet canon. In a move that appears to combine Tom Stoppard's spin-off Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, with the modernized humor of Netflix's recent adaptation of Jane Austen, Persuasion, the film will follow modern rom-com tropes as a bitter Rosaline, played by Booksmart and Dear Evan. Hansen's star Kaitlyn Dever tries to break up Romeo and Juliet. 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 Rosaline clinging to the railing spying on Romeo and Juliet, cursing them. It goes on to reveal its trademark mix of modern humor and classic romance as Rosaline enacts a Do Revenge-esque plan to win Romeo back, though a new love interest played by Sean Teale might stand in the way.
The trailer seems perfectly designed to appeal to high school students who were recently assigned Romeo and Juliet in English class. While it sounds like it will tweak the character dynamics and events of the play considerably, it certainly looks like it will work even better for anyone who knows and loves the source material. It brings a modern sensibility and a whole new angle to the classic work that will allow newfound Shakespeare obsessives another viewing option after finishing Leonardo DiCaprio's Romeo + Juliet.
It sounds like Rosaline will give Dever a chance at a starring role that's well within her young adult wheelhouse, but offers something new for her to bring to the table. She hasn't often been given opportunities to showcase the comedic chops she brought to Booksmart, as she's had roles in many recent TV dramas like Dopesick and Unbelievable. This new project has such a crazy premise that it will have the opportunity to show a sign of it that is rarely seen.