McDonagh’s Wild Horse 9 gets a trailer

Searchlight Pictures has unveiled the first official trailer for Wild Horse Nine (also stylised as Wild Horse 9), a darkly comic 1970s-set feature from acclaimed filmmaker Martin McDonagh. Somewhat unusually, the film has yet to premiere at any festivals or special screenings, yet it’s already locked in for a theatrical release this November. The project marks McDonagh’s fifth feature, following the success of The Banshees of Inisherin, and looks to continue his signature blend of sharp humour and morally tangled storytelling.

Set in the tense days leading up to the 1973 Chilean coup d’état, the film follows CIA agents Chris and Lee as they embark on a mission from Santiago to the remote Easter Island. Played by John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell, the pair are dispatched by their bureau chief MJ, portrayed by Steve Buscemi. As they navigate the eerie backdrop of the island’s iconic statues, long-buried tensions and past misdeeds begin to resurface, complicating their already fragile partnership.

Things take a further turn when Chris forms an unexpected connection with two rebellious students, played by Mariana di Girolamo and Ailín Salas, a relationship that threatens to derail the mission entirely. The ensemble also features appearances from Tom Waits and Parker Posey, adding to what already looks like a wonderfully offbeat and unpredictable cast.

Written and directed by McDonagh, whose past work includes In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Wild Horse Nine is shaping up to be another distinctive entry in his filmography. Produced by Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, McDonagh, and Anita Overland, the film arrives in cinemas on November 6th, 2026. It looks humourous, eccentric and tonally daring, very much in line with what audiences have come to expect from McDonagh.