‘Waiting for the Barbarians’ Film Trailer Released

Based upon the 1980 novel of the same name by South African author J.M. Coetzee, the first official trailer for the film Waiting for the Barbarians has been released, and it looks like it’s definitely one to watch out for. Check out the trailer for yourself below:

The film stars Mark Rylance, Johnny Depp and Robert Pattinson and is set to be released digitally this summer on 7th August. The film description reads: “The Magistrate of an isolated frontier settlement on the border of an unnamed empire looks forward to an easy retirement until the arrival of Colonel Joll, whose task it is to report on the activities of the ‘barbarians’ and on the security situation on the border. Joll conducts a series of ruthless interrogations, which leads the Magistrate to question his loyalty to the empire.”

Waiting for the Barbarians has been described as one of the greatest books of the 21st century and has been compared to Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. A well-received opera based on the novel premiered in 2005 and now fans of the story will be able to watch a film adaptation at home on their screens. Here’s hoping it lives up to the source material.