Ewan McGregor loses control in the trailer for Halston
The first trailer for Halston truly lives up to the promise of its casting: Ewan McGregor really is the perfect choice to play the mononymous fashion designer who rose to prominence in the ’70s and ’80s. Not to jump the gun based on a simple (but very well done) trailer, but it does sort of feel like McGregor’s career has laid the groundwork for this role—the black turtleneck, the self-indulgence, the queerness, the camp, the drama of it all. We caught a glimpse of McGregor’s Halston in a teaser released last February (in those fabled Before Times), but Netflix has finally unveiled a full trailer for the miniseries, which arrives on May 14:
There was a little bit of Halston in McGregor’s Birds Of Prey performance, but the eccentricity was very heightened for that particular world. The trailer for Halston teases a more grounded vibe, but there’s still melodrama and a bit of knowing camp—this is a series in which Liza Minelli is a supporting character, after all. And we can’t not address the Bret Easton Ellis font in the title card, lest you forget that Ryan Murphy is an executive producer. Halston co-stars Krysta Rodriguez, Bill Pullman, Vera Farmiga, and Rory Culkin (as Joel Schumacher, no less!), and was directed and executive produced by Daniel Minahan—whose credits include the excellent American Crime Story, which is hopefully an indication that this particular Ryan Murphy joint is of a certain quality, in a manner of speaking (i.e. it’s actually one of the good ones).
Here’s the official plot synopsis from Netflix:
The limited series Halston follows the legendary fashion designer (Ewan McGregor), as he leverages his single, invented name into a worldwide fashion empire that’s synonymous with luxury, sex, status and fame, literally defining the era he lives in, 1970’s and ‘80’s New York — until a hostile takeover forces him to battle for control of his most precious asset… the name Halston itself. The series is Executive Produced by Ryan Murphy, Ian Brennan, Alexis Martin Woodall, Daniel Minahan, Ewan McGregor, Eric Kovtun, Sharr White, and Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler of Killer Films. Minahan also serves as the series director.