Movies Gary Oldman weighs war and wit as Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour trailer Joe Wright directs WWII-era drama, also starring Kristin Scott Thomas and Ben Mendelsohn By Joey Nolfi Joey Nolfi Entertainment Weekly's Oscars expert, 'RuPaul's Drag Race' beat reporter, host of 'Quick Drag' Twitter Spaces, and cohost of 'EW's BINGE' podcast. Almost all of the drag content on this site is my fault (you're welcome). EW's editorial guidelines Published on July 13, 2017 10:32AM EDT The first trailer for likely awards contender Darkest Hour has finally seen the light of day. Gary Oldman occupies a formidable role in the film’s initial teaser as Winston Churchill, Great Britain’s famed Prime Minister who, during the early stages of World War II, was tasked with “exploring a negotiated peace treaty with Nazi Germany or standing firm to fight for the ideals, liberty, and freedom of a nation,” per a press release. Kristin Scott Thomas costars in the period film as Churchill’s spouse, Clementine, while Ben Mendelsohn tackles the role of King George VI, who famously remained at Buckingham Palace throughout the international conflict — even as German aircraft continuously bombed the city. English filmmaker Joe Wright (Anna Karenina, Atonement) helms the film from a script written by two-time Oscar nominee Anthony McCarten (The Theory of Everything). Distributor Focus Features is likely eyeing an awards run for the picture, tapping a Nov. 22 domestic bow — prime real estate for Oscar campaigns structured around individual performances — which could be preceded by screenings at high-profile fall festivals in Venice, Telluride, and Toronto. Ahead of the film’s fall release, check out the Darkest Hour teaser above, and scroll on to peep its new poster.