Anya Taylor-Joy Takes Chris Evans Hostage in the Insane Trailer for SACRIFICE
Anya Taylor-Joy leading a radical eco-warrior group, Chris Evans playing a movie star marked for sacrifice, an armed takeover at a glamorous charity gala, and a volcanic prophecy that might actually have some supernatural weight behind it? Yeah, Sacrifice sounds completely nuts.
DCM has released the German trailer for French filmmaker Romain Gavras’ first English-language feature, and the movie looks like an unruly collision of action, satire, religious fanaticism, celebrity culture, environmental extremism, and apocalyptic mythology.
Anya Taylor-Joy plays Joan, the leader of a radical group that crashes an exclusive fundraising gala held at a marble mine. Joan and her siblings have a rather extreme mission in mind. After their mother dies in a fire, they become convinced that a mysterious volcanic prophecy has given them a sacred responsibility to cleanse the Earth.
Their plan eventually requires three hostages, each chosen to fill a very specific role in a sacrificial ritual. One of those unlucky people is Mike Tyler, played by Chris Evans, a famous actor who also happens to be the group's hero.
Then there's billionaire Ben Bracken, played by Vincent Cassel, who has been selected as their villain. Rounding out the trio is Katie, an unfortunate performer played by Ambika Mod, who becomes their designated lover.
The official synopsis reads: “After the fiery death of their mother, Joan (Anya Taylor-Joy) and her siblings, driven by a mysterious volcanic prophecy, believe it is their duty to cleanse the Earth.
“Their radical group hijacks a glamorous charity gala and acquires three unlikely hostages for a sacrificial ritual: their hero, movie star Mike Tyler (Chris Evans); their villain, pragmatically cold billionaire Ben Bracken (Vincent Cassel); and their lover, an unlucky performer named Katie (Ambika Mod).
“As the party night descends into chaos, both an inward journey and an outward adventure ensue, where the line between performance and belief, salvation and sacrifice, begins to blur.”
Rather than playing as a straightforward hostage thriller, Sacrifice dives into the increasingly strange beliefs of its characters while playing with the idea of where conviction ends and insanity begins. There's also the question of whether this volcanic prophecy is pure fanaticism or whether something genuinely supernatural is happening.
The movie has been described as: “Thought-provoking, visually arresting, and powered by a kinetic original script co-written with Will Arbery (also of Succession), Gavras' Sacrifice is a satirical action-adventure and visually explosive epic led by a magnetic star-studded ensemble.”
Along with Taylor-Joy, Evans, Cassel, and Mod, the cast includes Salma Hayek, Sam Richardson, Yung Lean, Charli XCX, and John Malkovich.
Sacrifice originally premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, where it received divided reactions. Some viewers hated it, others thought it was fine, and some completely went along with Gavras' particular flavor of madness. That kind of response somehow feels appropriate for a movie swinging this hard.
This clearly isn't a filmmaker playing things safe. Sacrifice looks bonkers, extremely ambitious, and determined to chase its ideas wherever they lead. Maybe every piece won't come together, but I'll always have some appreciation for filmmakers willing to make something this strange, provocative, and difficult to easily categorize.
Sacrifice opens in Germany on October 15, 2026. A U.S. release date hasn't been announced yet.