First Look: Lily James and Armie Hammer Go Gothic in Netflix’s ‘Rebecca’

Does the Manderley estate hold an epic love story? Or just a ghost story?

Netflix released first look photos for Rebecca today. Lily James and Armie Hammer star in the latest film adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s classic gothic novel.

Newly married to handsome widower Maxim de Winter (Hammer), a young woman (James) arrives at the Manderley estate. Naive and inexperienced, she tries to settle into her new life. But everywhere she turns, she’s haunted by the shadow of Maxim’s first wife Rebecca, whose legacy is kept alive by sinister housekeeper Mrs. Danvers (Kristin Scott Thomas).

Ben Wheatley directed the romance/psychological thriller. He recently discussed the film with Empire.

“The idea of du Maurier smuggling a ghost story and a thriller and a betrayal inside a romance story, like a Russian doll, was really good,” Wheatley said. “That genre-jumping thing is something I’ve had in my own work, and the connection made sense.”

Other cast members include Keeley Hawes, Ann Dowd, Sam Riley, Tom Goodman-Hill, Mark Lewis Jones, John Hollingworth, and Bill Paterson.

Du Maurier’s 1938 novel was previously adapted to film in 1940 by Alfred Hitchcock. Hitchcock’s Rebecca won two Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Cinematography. So, Netflix’s adaptation has big shoes to fill.

So, what do you think of Rebecca? Will the shadow of Hitchcock’s film hang over this new adaptation like Rebecca’s shadow over Mrs. de Winter? Only time will tell. Judge for yourself when Rebecca hits Netflix October 21.

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Source: Netflix