To celebrate the launch of ticket sales for The Last Duel, Fandango has released the opening scene of Ridley Scott’s medieval epic starring Jodie Comer, Matt Damon, and Adam Driver, which will premiere in theaters next week on October 15.
In the scene, Comer’s Marguerite de Thibouville dresses during a rainy day while preparing to witness the duel that’ll decide her fate. Under tents around an arena in Paris, the two champions who’ll fight for her life don their armor: Damon’s Jean de Carrouges and Driver’s Jacques Le Gris. Then, the two men mount their horses, grab their shields and spears, and ride at full speed against each other. Unfortunately, the scene cuts right when the two knights clash against each other, meaning we’ll have to go to the theaters to see how the story unfolds.
Based on the true story of the last trial by combat in France, The Last Duel 2021 will show the fight to the death between a wounded husband (Damon) and a man accused of rape (Driver). Their duel will determine if the accuser (Comer) will be condemned to death for telling lies, or if she was speaking the truth about her assault. The 14th-century epic has been receiving positive reviews after its premiere at the Venice Film Festival, and it’s considered one of the strongest candidates for the following awards season.
Besides starring in The Last Duel, Damon and Ben Affleck also wrote the screenplay together with Nicole Holofcener. The last time Affleck and Damon worked on a script together was for Good Will Hunting, a movie that won them Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay.
The Last Duel’s cast also includes Harriet Walter, Nathaniel Parker, Sam Hazeldine, Michael McElhatton, Alex Lawther, Marton Csokas, Željko Ivanek, Clive Russell, Adam Nagaitis, and Bosco Hogan.
The Last Duel Clip: Jodie Comer Realizes She May Be Burned Alive
20th Century Studios unveils a new clip from Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel Movie Online seeing Jodie Comer’s character confronting Matt Damon after realizing she may be burned alive. Scott’s adaptation of Eric Jager’s The Last Duel: A True Story of Crime, Scandal, and Trial by Combat in Medieval France is based in part on the last sanctioned duel in 14th-century France. It is the first of two films the 83-year old director is releasing this year along with House of Gucci.
The Last Duel follows Norm knight Jean de Carrouges (Matt Damon), who challenges his squire, Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver), to a trial by combat after his wife, Marguerite (Comer) accuses Le Gris of having raped her, a charge Le Gris firmly asserts is false. On top of being a fight to the death, if Carrouges loses, Marguerite will be burned at the stake as punishment for her false accusation. The Last Duel was written by Ben Affleck (who also stars as Count Pierre d’Alençon), Damon, and Nicole Holofcener. To properly explore the film’s ideas, Affleck and Damon reportedly wrote the male perspective and Holofcener wrote the female.
With less than a month away from the release of the film, 20th Century Studios has shared a new clip from The Last Duel. The video center’s on Comer’s Marguerite as she confronts her husband after realizing she may be burned alive.
The Last Duel endured several months of hiatus due to COVID-19 but ultimately finished filming late last year. Audiences are anticipating the film as Scott’s first medieval drama since 2005’s Kingdom of Heaven, the first reunion of Damon and Affleck as screenwriters since Good Will Hunting, and the latter pair’s first onscreen appearance together since Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back (2001). Especially in 2021, many are curious to see how The Last Duel will handle its subject matter via a contemporary lens.
The Last Duel doesn’t focus on one character in particular as it’s said to be told with a Rashomon-esque rotation between perspectives. That being said, the film had its premiere at the Venice Film Festival last month, and early reviews for The Last Duel seem divided. Regardless, Comer’s performance in The Last Duel looks to be a tour de force. The Emmy-winning Killing Eve actress has had a great year with the success of Free Guy and the upcoming film could set her up nicely for awards season. Audiences will get to see if that’s the case when it releases in the US on October 15.