'The Good Liar' Trailer: Helen Mirren And Ian McKellen Star In A Con Artist Romance Thriller

Bill Condon, the Oscar-winning filmmaker who recently directed the live-action Beauty and the Beast for Disney, is back with a new movie, and this one does something that's inexplicably never been done before: it pairs Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen on the big screen together for the first time ever.The Good Liar, a twisty con man thriller based on the best-selling novel, looks like a throwback to the types of films that aren't often made anymore: slick, well-produced, mid-budget theatrical events for adults. Check out the first trailer below and jump on the hype train early, because this looks like it could be a surprise favorite by the year's end.

This trailer rules. McKellen as an aging con man? Mirren as someone who almost certainly is more than she appears? Where has this movie been all my life? I mentioned earlier that this is the kind of movie that's rarely made these days, but actually, I can't recall seeing an aging con artist thriller since David Mamet's Heist back in 2001, which starred Gene Hackman, Danny DeVito, and Delroy Lindo. This type of movie isn't just rare – it's like finding a four-leaf clover in the middle of a football field.

/Film's Peter Sciretta and I caught an early look at this trailer at CinemaCon back in April, and when Helen Mirren came out onto the Las Vegas stage to talk briefly about the movie, she made it clear that it has at least one major twist which should be avoided at all costs for anyone looking to experience the movie with fresh eyes. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'll be spending the next two months reading absolutely nothing else about this movie (or author Nicholas Searle's book) and waiting patiently to see the film for myself, because this thing looks rad.

Here's the film's official synopsis:

Bill Condon, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of "Gods and Monsters," directed and produced the film from a screenplay by Jeffrey Hatcher ("Mr. Holmes"), based on the widely acclaimed novel by Nicholas Searle. Career con artist Roy Courtnay (McKellen) can hardly believe his luck when he meets well-to-do widow Betty McLeish (Mirren) online. As Betty opens her home and life to him, Roy is surprised to find himself caring about her, turning what should be a cut-and-dry swindle into the most treacherous tightrope walk of his life.

The Good Liar arrives in theaters on November 15, 2019.