A24 has unleashed the first trailer for “Mother Mary,” a psychosexual pop thriller that showcases Anne Hathaway in what may be her most transformative role yet. The film, directed and written by David Lowery of “The Green Knight” and “A Ghost Story” fame, follows Hathaway as an iconic pop superstar whose carefully constructed world crumbles when she abandons her tour due to an existential crisis and seeks refuge with an old friend who helped craft her public persona.
Released on December 2, 2025, the Mother Mary trailer offers a glimpse into a dark, intense narrative that channels the volatile world of pop stardom through Lowery’s distinctive cinematic lens. The footage reveals Hathaway transformed into a Lady Gaga-meets-Taylor Swift hybrid, complete with elaborate stage costumes and platinum blonde hair—a stark departure from her signature brunette locks. Set to premiere in April 2026, the film promises to deliver A24’s signature blend of art-house sensibilities and genre-bending storytelling.
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The Premise: When Fame Becomes Too Much to Bear
“Mother Mary” centers on the titular pop star, played by Anne Hathaway, who finds herself at a breaking point during her tour. Overwhelmed by the pressures of fame and grappling with deep-seated personal demons, Mother Mary flees her obligations and tracks down Sam Anselm, portrayed by Emmy-winning actress Michaela Coel, a fashion designer and former best friend who was instrumental in creating the pop star’s larger-than-life public image.
The official synopsis reads: “Long-buried wounds rise to the surface when iconic pop star Mother Mary reunites with her estranged best friend and former costume designer Sam Anselm on the eve of her comeback performance.” This reunion, however, proves far from comforting. The Mother Mary trailer reveals a tense, psychologically charged dynamic between the two women, with Coel delivering a sardonic “So you’ve come crawling back to me” when Hathaway’s character arrives at her door seeking help.
What follows, according to the trailer, is a spooky and riveting journey that blends psychological drama with elements of horror. The footage showcases séances being conducted, religious symbolism scattered throughout, and what appears to be an attempt to exorcise some kind of spirit from Hathaway’s character. The film has been described as “not a ghost story”—a cheeky nod to Lowery’s 2017 film “A Ghost Story”—but rather a tale centered on religious fervor, identity crisis, and the psychological toll of maintaining a manufactured persona.
Hunter Schafer appears in what seems to be an assistant role to Coel’s fashion designer character, adding another layer of intrigue to the mysterious dynamic unfolding on screen. The Mother Mary trailer suggests that as the pop star prepares for her comeback performance, the boundaries between her public persona and her true self begin to dangerously blur, with potentially devastating consequences.
Anne Hathaway’s Most Challenging Role
For Anne Hathaway, “Mother Mary” represents not just another entry in her impressive filmography but what she has described as the most challenging role of her entire career. In a revealing Vogue cover story published in July 2025, the Oscar-winning actress opened up about the intense preparation process and the transformative nature of bringing this character to life.
“What struck me right away, reading the script, is that you can’t ‘perform’ Mother Mary,” Hathaway explained to Vogue. “If I got the part, I would have to become material David could craft with.” This realization marked a significant departure from Hathaway’s usual meticulous approach to character preparation. Rather than controlling every aspect of her performance, she had to surrender to the uncertainty and vulnerability of being molded by the director’s vision.
“I had to submit to being a beginner,” Hathaway confessed. “The humility of that—showing up every day knowing you’re going to suck. And it has to be okay. You’re not ‘bad.’ You’re just a beginner. Getting to that mindset—I had to shed some things that were hard to shed. It was welcome. But it was hard, the way transformational experiences can be hard.”
This philosophical shift required Hathaway to undergo nearly two years of intensive preparation that pushed her physical and mental boundaries. She endured daily dance classes that at one point ran from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., working with choreographer Dani Vitale to unlock a physical expressiveness that transcended her natural instincts. “You can’t tell me you’re angry; show me. Proprioception. That was the training, getting Annie out of her head,” Vitale told Vogue about her approach to working with Hathaway.
The choreographer recalled their first meeting with candid honesty: “I remember that first day, being like, Oh no. Because she’s like a doll, you know?” This assessment speaks to the transformation Hathaway needed to undergo—from someone physically contained and controlled to someone capable of the raw, thrashing movements seen in the Mother Mary trailer.
Perhaps most remarkably, Hathaway revealed that this process helped her finally overcome a physical limitation she’d struggled with for years. “I finally learned how to breathe,” she told Vogue. “My body was so locked up—I literally couldn’t take a deep breath. I’d been trying to open that space for years and I thought it was physically impossible. All my breath, it was stuck.” This breakthrough suggests that “Mother Mary” demanded not just a performance but a fundamental transformation of Hathaway’s relationship with her own body.
Music Without a Map: Singing Without the Songs
One of the most unusual and challenging aspects of Hathaway’s preparation for “Mother Mary” involved performing as a pop star without knowing what the music would ultimately sound like. The film features original songs written by superstar producers Jack Antonoff (known for his work with Taylor Swift, Lorde, and countless other pop icons) and Charli XCX (fresh off her groundbreaking “brat” album success), with additional contributions from FKA twigs, who also appears in the film.
However, these songs were not completed before filming began, forcing Hathaway to ad-lib her on-screen singing performances without the usual roadmap that prepared music would provide. For an actress known for her meticulous preparation—she famously lost 25 pounds in weeks to play Fantine in “Les Misérables”—this represented a particularly disorienting challenge.
“It was so confusing. I had to learn,” Hathaway explained to Vogue. “Because if I’d had the music a year before we ever turned a camera on, I would have tattooed every note of it on my soul, and there would have been a whole process, very specific. And that was not available to me.” Yet she came to see this limitation as a gift rather than an obstacle. “In the end, I am very grateful I could not take control.”
This forced improvisation meant that Hathaway had to trust the process and her collaborators in unprecedented ways. Charli XCX later revealed in an email interview with Vogue that she and Antonoff used footage from the film as inspiration for the songs they ultimately created. “Anne’s movement was super graphic, very thrashing and jerky and bold in this super magical and scary way,” Charli XCX observed. “It felt volatile and gripping, so Jack and I went away and thought about that.”
This unusual creative process—where the visual performance informed the music rather than the reverse—speaks to Lowery’s distinctive approach to filmmaking and his interest in pushing his collaborators beyond their comfort zones.
David Lowery’s ‘Apocalypse Now’: An Intense Production
Director David Lowery has described making “Mother Mary” in terms that suggest an almost mythically challenging production experience. He’s compared the shoot to Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now,” the famously troubled Vietnam War epic whose production became as legendary as the film itself. While Lowery’s comparison is likely somewhat tongue-in-cheek, it speaks to the intensity and psychological demands that “Mother Mary” placed on everyone involved.
The production filmed in and around Cologne, Germany, creating what some cast members have described as a cult-like atmosphere of shared intensity. “It was the craziest day. I mean, everyone got challenged,” one cast member told Vogue. “But it made us all super close. It’s like David started a cult by accident.“
One particularly grueling sequence illustrates just how demanding the shoot became. While filming a pivotal scene near the end of the film, Hathaway became so immersed in the emotional intensity of the moment that she worried about harming her co-star. “At one point Annie broke down and said, ‘I have to apologize, because I think what’s going to come out of me will hurt you,'” Lowery recalled to Variety. “And Michaela took her hands and said, ‘I love you, I trust you.'”
The director added: “We were in various stages of that for about a week, shooting that scene. It felt like shooting ‘Apocalypse Now.'”
Michaela Coel, speaking about Hathaway’s performance in that sequence, emphasized the courage it required. “It’s very brave work that she’s done,” Coel said. “The physicality she had to learn in preparation for this job—and it’s not just us in [that scene], it’s the crew, it’s the producers, and so of course this day was terrifying, a little monster on her shoulder, but no one realized until after the first take. And then to keep doing it—take after take. That requires a lot of strength. Gallons and tons.”.
Lowery has previously described “Mother Mary” as a “weird, weird film” and mentioned that it was partly inspired by Francis Ford Coppola’s “Bram Stoker’s Dracula.” He’s also expressed confidence that the film “will provoke a lot of strong feelings, in every possible direction,” suggesting that audiences should prepare for a polarizing and emotionally challenging viewing experience.
Michaela Coel and an Impressive Supporting Cast
Joining Anne Hathaway in “Mother Mary” is Michaela Coel, the multi-hyphenate writer, director, and actress who made history with her groundbreaking 2020 series “I May Destroy You.” Coel became the first Black woman to win the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series for that show, which she also starred in and created. Her presence in “Mother Mary” adds significant dramatic weight and star power to the project.
Coel plays Sam Anselm, the fashion designer and former best friend who helped craft Mother Mary’s public image in her early career. The Mother Mary trailer suggests that Coel’s character maintains a complex emotional relationship with the pop star—part resentment, part protective concern, part something darker and more obsessive. The chemistry between Hathaway and Coel appears central to the film’s psychological intensity.
To prepare for her role, Coel reportedly went to techno clubs with Hathaway, immersing themselves in the world of electronic music and club culture that informs the film’s aesthetic. This dedication to research and collaboration speaks to the commitment both actresses brought to their roles.
The supporting cast reads like a who’s who of rising talent and established actors. Hunter Schafer, known for her breakout role in “Euphoria,” plays what appears to be Sam’s assistant Hilda, and the Mother Mary trailer shows her participating in the mysterious rituals that unfold. Model and actress Kaia Gerber, singer-songwriter FKA twigs, Alba Baptista, Jessica Brown Findlay, Atheena Frizzell, Isaura Barbé-Brown, and Sian Clifford round out the ensemble.
FKA twigs’ involvement is particularly notable as she not only acts in the film but also contributed to the original music alongside Charli XCX and Jack Antonoff. Her presence adds another layer of musical authenticity to a project deeply concerned with the machinery of pop stardom.
A24’s Pop Star Obsession
“Mother Mary” arrives as part of A24’s growing fascination with stories about pop music and celebrity culture. The indie studio, known for elevated genre films and art-house hits, has been increasingly drawn to narratives that explore the psychological toll and cultural significance of pop stardom.
Notably, A24 is also distributing “The Moment,” an upcoming film centered around Charli XCX that will further explore the world of pop music. The studio’s interest in these stories reflects broader cultural conversations about celebrity, manufactured personas, and the gap between public image and private reality.
The involvement of Charli XCX in both projects is particularly interesting. Her 2024 album “brat” became a cultural phenomenon, spawning countless memes and even influencing political discourse. Her music—which often explores themes of insecurity, comparison, and the performance of confidence—aligns perfectly with “Mother Mary’s” interest in the gap between the person and the persona.
Jack Antonoff, meanwhile, has become one of pop music’s most influential figures through his work with Taylor Swift, Lorde, Lana Del Rey, and many others. His involvement suggests that “Mother Mary” aims for musical authenticity rather than generic pop pastiche.
Anne Hathaway’s 2026 Takeover
“Mother Mary” kicks off what promises to be a monumental year for Anne Hathaway, who has four major films scheduled for release in 2026. Following “Mother Mary’s” April debut, Hathaway will appear in the long-awaited sequel “The Devil Wears Prada 2” on May 1, reuniting with Meryl Streep to revisit the characters that became cultural icons.
Christopher Nolan’s epic “The Odyssey” follows on July 17, marking another collaboration between Hathaway and the visionary director with whom she worked on “Interstellar” and “The Dark Knight Rises.” David Robert Mitchell’s sci-fi thriller “Flowervale Street” arrives August 14, and the crime drama “Verity” completes her 2026 slate with an October 2 release.
This packed schedule represents a career renaissance for Hathaway, who has experienced something of a second act in recent years after navigating periods of intense public scrutiny and the cyclical nature of Hollywood favor. Her willingness to take risks with challenging material like “Mother Mary” demonstrates an artist uninterested in coasting on past success.
FAQs
When will Mother Mary be released?
Mother Mary is scheduled to premiere in theaters in April 2026. A24 will distribute the film, though specific release dates for international markets haven’t been announced yet.
What is the Mother Mary trailer about?
The Mother Mary trailer shows Anne Hathaway as a pop star suffering an existential crisis who abandons her tour and seeks help from her estranged friend Sam (Michaela Coel), a fashion designer who helped create her public persona. The trailer reveals psychological intensity, séances, and religious imagery.
Who wrote the music for Mother Mary?
The film features original songs written by Jack Antonoff, Charli XCX, and FKA twigs. Daniel Hart composed the film’s score. The music was created after filming began, forcing Hathaway to ad-lib her performance scenes without knowing the final songs.
How did Anne Hathaway prepare for the Mother Mary role?
Hathaway underwent nearly two years of intensive preparation including daily dance classes running from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and vocal training. She described it as her most challenging role, requiring her to “submit to being a beginner” and learn to breathe properly for the first time.
Who directed Mother Mary and what else has he made?
David Lowery wrote and directed Mother Mary. He’s known for “The Green Knight,” “A Ghost Story,” and “Pete’s Dragon.” He described making Mother Mary as comparable to shooting “Apocalypse Now” due to its intense production demands and psychological challenges for the cast and crew.
