Netflix has released the official trailer for A House of Dynamite, a high-stakes political thriller from Academy Award-winning director Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty).
The film centers on Olivia Walker (Rebecca Ferguson), a senior duty officer in the White House Situation Room, as she races to trace the source of a lone nuclear missile headed toward the United States. With only minutes before impact on Chicago, government leaders, military officials, and analysts scramble to prevent a catastrophic strike.
Bigelow has assembled a powerhouse cast that includes Idris Elba, Gabriel Basso, Jared Harris, Tracy Letts, Anthony Ramos, Moses Ingram, Jonah Hauer-King, Greta Lee, and Jason Clarke. The project is scripted by Noah Oppenheim, who also produces alongside Bigelow and Greg Shapiro, with Brian Bell and Sarah Bremner serving as executive producers.
The trailer itself wastes no time in setting the tone. While no words are spoken by the characters, the visuals are filled with tense energy — worried faces, running through city streets, and the looming sense of catastrophe. Over these images, Carl Sagan’s famous “Pale Blue Dot” passage plays, reminding viewers of humanity’s smallness in the universe. The narration reflects on every person who has ever lived existing on a speck of dust, the blood spilled by leaders seeking momentary power, and the chilling truth that no outside help will come to save us. The sequence closes with an urgent reminder that Earth is our only home, and it is humanity’s responsibility to protect it. The words, paired with the mounting imagery, build the trailer into a chilling crescendo.
Adding to the buzz, According to The Hollywood Reporter, Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese makes her feature film debut with a cameo in the thriller. Reese, who has become one of the most recognizable faces in women’s basketball, appears in a scene alongside Elba’s presidential character, marking her first major screen role.
A House of Dynamite premiered earlier this week at the Venice Film Festival, where it reportedly received an extended ovation. While some critics have been divided on the film’s execution, early reactions to the trailer from viewers online highlight its intensity, with some calling it more frightening than a horror movie.
This marks Bigelow’s first feature in eight years, returning her to the conversation with another tense, politically charged narrative. The film will premiere in select U.K. theaters on October 3, expand to international cinemas on October 10, and launch globally on Netflix on October 24.