First Normal People and then Aftersun, it seems that every project the Irish heartthrob that is Paul Mescal signs on to is a resounding success (and almost guaranteed to make us sob). Which of course has us ridiculously excited for his upcoming film All Of Us Strangers, previously titled Strangers.
And to add to the excitement, a first look image of the movie has been released.
The moody image with a purple tinge sees Paul Mescal – and his mullet – cosying up to co-star Andrew Scott (aka The Hot Priest from Fleabag) maybe in a nightclub? Honestly the picture doesn’t give us much, but the excitement for the film is very real.
But what do we know about Paul Mescal’s upcoming film All Of Us Strangers so far?
What is All Of Us Strangers about?
Loosely based on the novel Strangers – written by Japanese screenwriter and novelist Taichi Yamada – the film follows the story of protagonist Adam – played by Fleabag‘s Andrew Scott – a screenwriter living in London, who becomes close to Paul Mescal’s character Harry after a ‘chance encounter’.
Then, after travelling back to his childhood home, Adam finds his late parents (played by Claire Foy and Jamie Bell) inside, seemingly not having aged a day since they died 30 years ago. Wild.
In the novel, it seems that originally Adam’s love interest was written as a woman – but Strangers’ queer director Andrew Haigh has made some adaptations to the original story, making room for Paul’s role.
Who is set to star in All Of Us Strangers?
Prepare yourself, there are some great names on the cast list. As well as Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal, we’re talking Claire Foy (The Crown) and Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot).
Speaking about All Of Us Strangers, Andrew shared, ‘I wouldn’t describe it as a rom-com, it’s quite dark. But there is rom in it, and I suppose there’s a bit of com in it, so maybe it is a rom-com! But it’s an unusual sort of one.
‘Paul is a superstar and he’s a beautiful, beautiful person inside and out. I don’t want to give anything away, but you’re required to have chemistry no matter what you’re doing with people. So even if they’re not love scenes, you have to have chemistry. We had great chemistry.’
Who is director Andrew Haigh?
50 year old director Andrew Haigh has directed a range of films and TV series centred around queer characters, including Weekend – a film following two gay men and their burgeoning relationship after a one-night stand. He also directed the HBO TV series Looking which is all about a community of queer men in San Francisco.
Speaking about All Of Us Strangers Andrew Haigh suggested that there is something of the supernatural in the film saying, ‘There is an element of it, that is outside of naturalism’.
He also spoke about his joy at the A-list cast he’d managed to recruit adding, ‘I mean, all of them, you know, Paul, Andrew, Claire, Jamie Bell. They were like a dream cast to work with and so, no, it was a really beautiful experience. I find it a very interesting film. So we’ll see. We’ll see how people take it.’
When is All Of Us Strangers set to be released?
All Of Us Strangers has finally been given a release date of 22 December 2023.
Where can I watch All Of Us Strangers?
All Of Us Strangers will be available to watch in cinemas from 22 December 2023.
This story first appeared on GRAZIA International.