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Willem Dafoe Anchors Kent Jones’s ‘Late Fame’ as Trailer Ignites Awards Buzz

Critical praise for Dafoe and strong festival showings have positioned the film for a targeted August theatrical rollout.

Overview

  • IndieWire exclusively debuted the first trailer on Thursday, June 25, consolidating early critical attention and online discussion around Dafoe’s performance.
  • Magnolia Pictures has scheduled a limited release in New York on August 7 and Los Angeles on August 14 with additional cities to follow.
  • Dafoe plays Ed Saxberger, a once-celebrated New York poet who is rediscovered by a group of younger admirers led by characters played by Edmund Donovan and Greta Lee.
  • The film, directed by Kent Jones and written by Samy Burch, adapts an 1895 Arthur Schnitzler novella and transposes its setting to contemporary lower Manhattan.
  • ‘Late Fame’ premiered on the festival circuit — including Venice and the New York Film Festival — and its festival run, strong lead performance, and adult-focused city rollout could generate awards-season momentum and fuller national expansion.