Netflix Assembles Jason Momoa, Gal Gadot, Al Pacino, and Gerard Butler for One Must-See Movie
Netflix has scooped up In the Hand of Dante from director Julian Schnabel and co-writer Louise Kugelberg, packing the cast with Jason Momoa, Gal Gadot, Al Pacino, and Gerard Butler. Release details are still under wraps.
Netflix just grabbed a high-art, high-wattage drama that basically screams: yes, this is a flex. It is called In the Hand of Dante, it premiered quietly on the festival circuit last year, and now it is headed for your queue. No date yet, but the ingredients are wild.
What is it?
Director Julian Schnabel adapts Nick Tosches' 2002 novel and goes big with a two-track story. Oscar Isaac pulls double duty as the real-life author Nick Tosches in modern-day New York and as Dante Alighieri in the 14th century. Two men, two eras, one obsession that keeps echoing across time.
"A New York author in the 21st century and Dante Alighieri himself in the 14th century are unknowingly connected both through time and their obsessive quest for love, beauty, and the divine."
Schnabel co-wrote the film with Louise Kugelberg. If the name rings a bell, Schnabel is the filmmaker behind The Diving Bell and the Butterfly and Before Night Falls — the latter being the breakout that put Javier Bardem on a lot of lists.
The cast is not messing around
- Oscar Isaac
- Gal Gadot
- Gerard Butler
- John Malkovich
- Louis Cancelmi
- Sabrina Impacciatore
- Franco Nero
- Benjamin Clementine
- Paolo Bonacelli
- Martin Scorsese
- Al Pacino
- Jason Momoa
Yes, that Martin Scorsese. The lineup is stacked to the point of chaos, in a fun way.
Where this thing has been, and where it is going
The movie had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival last year, where Schnabel also picked up the Cartier Glory to the Filmmaker Award for his contributions to the arts. Netflix has now acquired the film and says it is "coming soon." Translation: release date to be announced, but the streamer clearly wants to plant a flag here.
Between the dual-role hook, the time-split storytelling, and a cast that looks like someone emptied out a Dolby Theatre, In the Hand of Dante is not your average streamer original. Keep an eye on this one.