Trailer For Steven Soderbergh’s THE CHRISTOPHERS Sees Ian McKellen Plot a Risky Art Forgery
If you’re a fan of slick crime stories with a sharp edge, a trailer for The Christophers just dropped and it’s got all the ingredients for a killer art-world caper.
Steven Soderbergh, the filmmaker who gave us Ocean’s 11, is back in theaters this spring with a drama about legacy, ego, and one very risky forgery scheme. And at the center of it all is Ian McKellen, playing a once-celebrated artist whose past refuses to stay buried.
The film follows Julian Sklar, a former icon of London’s 1960s and 70s pop art explosion who hasn’t picked up a brush in decades. Fame faded, money dried up, and what’s left is a fractured family circling what they think is their inheritance.
The official synopsis reads: “Julian Sklar was once a star of London’s 1960’s and 70’s pop art explosion, but he hasn’t painted in decades and has been broke for years.
His two estranged children, desperate for an inheritance, hire Lori, an art restorer and former forger, to pose as a prospective assistant in order to access 8 unfinished canvases Julian has buried deep in storage. Her plan is to complete them, then return them to storage, where they are to be ‘discovered’ upon Julian’s death.”
Watching the trailer, you can feel the tension simmering as everyone plays their angles. McKellen looks like he’s having a blast with Julian.
The film also stars Michaela Coel, Jessica Gunning, and James Corden, bringing together a mix of sharp comedic timing and dramatic weight. The script comes from Ed Solomon, the screenwriter of Men in Black and a longtime Soderbergh collaborator.
Neon will release The Christophers in theaters on Friday, April 10. If you’re into art-world intrigue, morally messy characters, and watching Ian McKellen tear into a role with razor-sharp precision, this looks like one to keep on your radar.