CinemaCon audiences were riveted by the first trailer for After the Hunt, Luca Guadagnino’s chilling new drama starring Julia Roberts in what’s already being called a career-defining performance. The film, heavily tipped for the upcoming awards season, took center stage during Wednesday’s presentation in Las Vegas and left theater owners with no doubt: this is a prestige powerhouse built to provoke.
Roberts plays a sharp, respected college professor whose orderly life begins to unravel when one of her students, played by Ayo Edebiri, accuses a colleague (Andrew Garfield) of sexual misconduct. What begins as a professional dilemma quickly snowballs into a deeply personal reckoning, as a long-buried secret from Roberts’ past claws its way into the present.
The trailer teases a slow-burning academic thriller—emotionally fraught, morally complex, and full of razor-sharp tension. Roberts, nearly unrecognizable as a blonde, East Coast academic, is surrounded by a faculty of quietly complicit figures, including Michael Stuhlbarg and Chloë Sevigny. Meanwhile, Garfield’s performance simmers with menace as a charismatic professor who pushes boundaries, both verbally and physically.
Edebiri’s character brings the emotional engine of the film, appearing at Roberts’ apartment in a vulnerable state, alleging that Garfield’s character “crossed a line… he kept going after I said no.” What follows is a volatile investigation—not just into the truth, but into complicity, reputation, and the moral ambiguity of personal history.
The trailer closes with a tense exchange that encapsulates the emotional stakes:
“I’m no longer comfortable having this conversation with you,” Edebiri says.
“Not everything is supposed to make you comfortable,” Roberts snaps back.
Director Guadagnino introduced the footage by expressing immense pride in the project. “I’m extremely proud of what I’m going to share with you tonight,” he told the audience—likely the first of many such statements as After the Hunt heads toward inevitable awards consideration.
Produced by Imagine Entertainment and Frensey Film Company, the film counts Brian Grazer, Guadagnino, Jeb Brody, and Allan Mandelbaum among its producers, with Karen Lunder, Justin Wilkes, Alice Dawson, and Nora Garrett executive producing.
With its gripping subject matter, powerhouse performances, and searing script, After the Hunt is shaping up to be one of the year’s most talked-about films.