From sea to shining sea, Cailee Spaeny and Kirsten Dunst are capturing just how far America has fallen.
The duo, who are both Sofia Coppola darlings, lead Alex Garland‘s action-drama “Civil War.” The feature marks Garland’s third film with A24. Garland previously told The Daily Telegraph that “Civil War” is connected to “Men” and “set at an indeterminate point in the future — just far enough ahead for me to add a conceit — and serves as a sci-fi allegory for our currently polarized predicament.”
The elusive logline for “Civil War” reads: “A race to the White House in a near-future America balanced on the razor’s edge.”
Dunst and Spaeny play war photographers, with Wagner Moura, Sonoya Mizuno, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Nick Offerman co-starring. Offerman, McKinley Henderson, and Mizuno all formerly appeared in Garland’s 2020 FX series “Devs.”
“Civil War” is Garland’s third A24 film behind “Ex Machina,” and “Men,” as well as non-A24 film “Annihilation.” He also penned Danny Boyle films “The Beach,” “28 Days Later,” and “Sunshine” before making his feature directing debut with “Ex Machina” in 2014.
“Civil War” was rumored (and incorrectly reported) to be a whopping 195 minutes. IndieWire later confirmed with A24 that the film is in fact 109 minutes, or an hour and 49 minutes. The initial release date for “Civil War” was April 26, with the new trailer announcing a slightly earlier premiere on April 12.
Spaeny co-starring alongside Dunst in “Civil War” led to her breakout turn in “Priscilla.” Longtime Sofia Coppola collaborator Dunst suggested Spaeny play the title character for “Priscilla” after working with the actress for the upcoming Garland film. Both features are A24 releases, with “Priscilla” debuting in 2023.
“Kirsten’s amazing,” Spaeny told IndieWire at the “Priscilla” premiere. “She definitely put in a good word for me, which I don’t think hurt during the casting process,” later adding that Dunst “passed the torch” to her.
“Civil War” premieres April 12 in theaters from A24. Check out the latest trailer below.
