Benedict Cumberbatch plays Phil Burbank in The Power of the Dog. Photo / Netflix via YouTube
Benedict Cumberbatch plays Phil Burbank in The Power of the Dog. Photo / Netflix via YouTube
One of the major Hollywood projects filmed in New Zealand in 2020 has unveiled its first trailer.
The Power of The Dog was directed by Jane Campion, the Wellington-born and Academy Award-winning filmmaker behind The Piano.
The movie's synopsis reads: "Charismatic rancher Phil Burbank inspires fear and awe in thosearound him. When his brother brings home a new wife and her son, Phil torments them until he finds himself exposed to the possibility of love."
The film is based on the book by Thomas Savage, and stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons and Kodi Smit-McPhee - plus New Zealand actress Thomasin McKenzie.
Benedict Cumberbatch plays Phil Burbank in The Power of the Dog. Photo / Netflix via YouTube
The movie is set to premiere at the 78th Venice Film Festival next week, and the teaser trailer gives film fans a taste of what to expect from the Netflix film.
The trailer depicts Cumberbatch whistling a haunting tune, and several stunning shots of the South Island landscape feature.
The teaser plays a shot of a wheat field laced with blood, hinting at the movie's dark themes.
Power of the Dog was filmed in Otago and Dunedin, and began shooting in January 2020 before the pandemic halted production. The movie's Hollywood stars remained in the country during our first lockdown and the production was given a border exemption for its cast and crew and filming resumed in June 2020.
Dunst, Cumberbatch, and Plemons were spotted at an Auckland bar's third-anniversary party while they were in Aotearoa.
Dunst shared what lockdown life in New Zealand was like in an interview with the LA Times.
Speaking to the LA Times in April 2020, the star said she had been staying in New Zealand with her fiance, Jesse Plemons, and their 2-year-old son.
Speaking about quarantine life, Dunst said they wanted to spend it outside of Auckland, so they rented a house for their son to have grass to run around on.
She numbered all the animals that were around, including horses and two old cats — apparently one of whom, named Sid, liked to bring back presents.
Watch the full teaser trailer above ahead of the film's release on Netflix and theatres on December 1.
