A new trailer is here for Atomic Blonde, the upcoming spy/assassin thriller starring Charlize Theron and directed by John Wick co-helmsman David Leitch. The movie premiered at the 2017 SXSW film festival earlier this year after going through a title change; having originally been named after its comic book source material, e.g. writer Antony Johnston and illustrator Sam Hart’s The Coldest City. Universal Pictures debuted the first Atomic Blonde red band trailer around that same time, formally kicking off the movie’s marketing campaign in the process.

Atomic Blonde takes place during the (semi-figurative) final days of the Cold War during the 1980s; wherein one Lorraine Broughton (Theron), a highly-lethal MI6 spy/assassin, is sent to Berlin in order to deliver a “priceless” dossier. Although Lorraine is assisted on her mission by MI6’s experienced Berlin station chief David Percival (James McAvoy), in a city of spies and killers, it’s near-impossible and downright dangerous for her to fully trust anyone that she crosses paths with there.

The second Atomic Blonde trailer (see above) delves deeper into the film’s story and Lorraine’s motivation than its predecessor, but still keeps the focus on the movie’s biggest selling point - its action. Theron has now revealed the extent of the dental injuries that she suffered while filming Atomic Blonde, as a result of the (somewhat literally) bone-crunching fisticuffs and close-quarter brawls that she participated in during production. However, as the new trailer for the movie further showcases, the final result (read: cleanly-shot fights with fewer edits than most Hollywood fare) is something to behold for it.

Based on a script written by Kurt Johnstad (the 300 movie franchise), Atomic Blonde earned mostly positive reviews from the critics who caught it at SXSW; with the early consensus being that Theron’s impressive performance and the fight scenes make up for the film’s shortcomings in terms of story and emotional substance. While its filmmaking style and action sequences helped to catapult John Wick into becoming a semi-cult hit franchise, its emotional throughline and world-building were also instrumental to the movie’s popularity. That is to say, without the same elements, Atomic Blonde may not become the breakout hit that Leitch’s previous directorial effort was.

Atomic Blonde may yet become a cult film success in its own right though, when it arrives in theaters this summer; providing a stripped-down, R-Rated action experience that other blockbusters playing in theaters at that time won’t be offering. Helping the movie’s cause is a notable supporting cast that, in addition to Theron and McAvoy, includes John Goodman (Kong: Skull Island), Sofia Boutella (Kingsman: The Secret Service) and Toby Jones (Sherlock) in significant roles. It also won’t hurt that Theron will be coming off her leading role in this week’s soon-to-be-a-success The Fate of the Furious when Atomic Blonde arrives on the scene, either.

Source: Universal Pictures

  • Atomic Blonde Release Date: 2017-07-28