Who knew chess could be so stylish? Starring scream queen Anya Taylor-Joy, she’s a far cry from the gritty blockbusters she’s known for including The Witch and Split in her next endeavor. Netflix has released its first trailer for The Queen’s Gambit, the upcoming limited series via Entertainment Weekly.
Taylor-Joy invited her followers on instagram to take a look at the glamorous period piece yesterday by sharing not yet seen photos of her in The Queen’s Gambit. See the post below:
The Queen’s Gambit follows the world of chess in the 1950s, a time where it’s very much a man’s world. The second wave of feminism has not yet occurred, and feminist icons such as Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem will not be household names for a few years. But women are still fighting the patriarchy. Such a woman is Beth Harmon portrayed by Taylor-Joy. She is one of the best chess players in the country and an intense competitor. In this world dominated by men she is never deterred, unless you count the tranquilizers and cigarettes she’s hooked on.
Though many look back on the fifties as a time of milkshakes and leather jackets, the nostalgia is warped and twisted in the upcoming dramatic thriller. Beth is as complicated as a game of chess, and this first glimpse into her world is just as mysterious and unrevealing. The trailer tells two stories, one of a child prodigy and the other of an older, more tortured woman. There’s a fine line between madness and sanity, and The Queen’s Gambit is not afraid of the dark.
Before it was made into a Netflix series, The Queen’s Gambit was a novel written by Walter Tevis (The Hustler). Published in 1983, the book is told in chronological order depicting how Beth went from ordinary to extraordinary at age eight when it’s revealed she’s a chess wizard. But, being a child prodigy has its setbacks as she’s put on heavy doses of pills and tranquilizers by the incapable adults around her. Flashbacks will be used to depict those dark, early days of childhood as Beth is now a young woman coming of age.
The upcoming thriller is written, directed and co-created by Scott Frank (Logan), and this isn’t his first rodeo. He first collaborated with Netflix in making the critically acclaimed, Emmy-Award winning limited series Godless in 2017. He also co-executive produced alongside William Horberg (Cold Mountain). All seven episodes will be made available to stream October 23 on Netflix.
Step into the world of saddle shoes and cigarette smoke by watching the trailer below: