In January, we reported that filmmaker Dan Gilroy, who made quite a splash in 2014 with the unnerving Nightcrawler, had a new legal drama in the works with Denzel Washington and Colin Farrell. Back then, it was going by the name Inner City, but since then it had its premiere at TIFF under the name Roman J. Israel, Esq. Now, you can watch its first trailer.
Washington stars as the titular lawyer, who after a life of activism and fighting for the underrepresented finds himself disillusioned and out of touch. Soon, he joins a high-end law firm headed by Farrell that challenges his convictions and, it seems, lands him in hot water with the very people he used to represent. Watch the trailer, soundtracked by Kendrick Lamar’s “i”, up above.
Any film with Washington is poised for awards consideration, but the presence of Gilroy and a release date of November 3rd make it that much more of a contender. Carmen Ejogo, Lynda Gravatt, Amanda Warren, and Hugo Armstrong co-star, and the notable addition of director of photography Robert Elswit (There Will Be Blood, Boogie Nights, Punch-Drunk Love) ensures that the thing will at least look pretty.