The Last Duel is a movie based on actual events that is set during the time of 14th century France. This movie, written by Nicole Holofcener & Ben Affleck & Matt Damon, is directed by four-time Academy Award® nominee Ridley Scott. It will be arriving in theaters on October 15, 2021. Today, a trailer was released for the film that takes place during the Hundred Years War.
The Last Duel – Official Trailer
The Last Duel Official Description
The historical epic is a cinematic and thought-provoking drama set in the midst of the Hundred Years War that explores the ubiquitous power of men, the frailty of justice and the strength and courage of one woman willing to stand alone in the service of truth. Based on actual events, the film unravels long-held assumptions about France’s last sanctioned duel between Jean de Carrouges and Jacques Le Gris, two friends turned bitter rivals. Carrouges is a respected knight known for his bravery and skill on the battlefield. Le Gris is a Norman squire whose intelligence and eloquence make him one of the most admired nobles in court. When Carrouges’ wife, Marguerite, is viciously assaulted by Le Gris, a charge he denies, she refuses to stay silent, stepping forward to accuse her attacker, an act of bravery and defiance that puts her life in jeopardy. The ensuing trial by combat, a grueling duel to the death, places the fate of all three in God’s hands.
Oscar® winner Matt Damon (“Good Will Hunting,” “Ford v Ferrari”) is Jean de Carrouges, two-time Academy Award® nominee Adam Driver (“Marriage Story,” “BlacKkKlansman”) is Jacques Le Gris, Emmy® winner Jodie Comer (“Killing Eve,” “Free Guy”) is Marguerite de Carrouges and two-time Oscar winner Ben Affleck (“Argo,” “Good Will Hunting”) is Count Pierre d’Alençon. The screenplay is by Oscar nominee Nicole Holofcener (“Can You Ever Forgive Me?”) & Ben Affleck & Matt Damon based on the book by Eric Jager. The film is produced by Ridley Scott, Kevin J. Walsh (“Manchester by the Sea”), Jennifer Fox (“Nightcrawler”), Nicole Holofcener, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck with Kevin Halloran (“Ford v Ferrari”), Drew Vinton (“Promised Land”), Madison Ainley (“Justice League”) serving as executive producers.
The Last Duel is based on Eric Jager’s book The Last Duel: A True Story of Crime, Scandal, and Trial by Combat in Medieval France. This book brings the Middle Ages to life. This was a time where there were strict codes of chivalry for etiquette, social aspirations and justice. Defying these codes and the institutions of the time, mainly the Church, nobility at court, and a teenage king, could be very bad. Things could be even more challenging for a woman trying to make her way through these dangerous times. Especially when she had no legal standing without her husband’s support.
“I love working with Matt, so it was an added bonus to be able to work with him and Ben as both actors and as screenwriters, along with Nicole Holofcener, and I knew it would be a great result,” says director/producer Ridley Scott. “I had admired the show ‘Killing Eve’ and had been looking for the opportunity to present Jodie Comer with a challenging role. Her performance as Marguerite will make her one of the great actresses of her generation.”
“This film is an effort to retell the story of a heroic woman from history whom most people haven’t heard of. We admired her bravery and resolute determination and felt this was both a story that needed to be told and one whose drama would captivate audiences the way it moved us as writers. As we further explored the story, we found so many aspects of the formal, codified patriarchy of 14th century Western Europe to still be present in vestigial ways (and in some cases almost unchanged) in today’s society,” says Nicole Holofcener, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon. “We chose to use the device of telling the story from several character’s perspectives in order to examine the immutable fact that although often multiple people who experience the same event come away with differing accounts, there can only be one truth.”
The Last Duel will arrive in theaters on October 15, 2021.
What do you think of The Last Duel? Will you see it in theaters? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below.
