Margaret Qualley and Joe Alwyn find paradise (kind of) in the Stars At Noon trailer

Following Both Sides Of The Blade earlier this year, acclaimed French director Claire Denis is back with another sexy drama. A24 has shared a new trailer for Stars At Noon that promises a high-octane espionage thriller that updates Denis Johnson’s 1986 novel for the present day.

Margaret Qualley stars as an American journalist who becomes stranded in Nicaragua after originally traveling there on an assignment. She finds a rare connection with a fellow traveler played by Joe Alwyn, who turns out to be more than a British oil company consultant. As their relationship builds, so does the threat of violence.

“This country is kind of like a gambler’s paradise,” says a CIA agent played by co-director of Uncut Gems, Benny Safdie. “Everybody’s giving the odds a shake, whichever game they feel like playing.”

The film has been in the works for a number of years—Robert Pattinson was originally cast in Alwyn’s role before becoming unavailable due to The Batman’s shifting schedule—and evolved to include the pandemic, as Both Sides Of The Blade did. Denis received Johnson’s blessing to adapt his novel before the writer’s death in 2017.

Qualley was recently seen alongside her mother Andie MacDowell in the Netflix miniseries Maid, for which she received an Emmy nomination. Earlier this year, Alwyn was one of the leads of the Hulu adaptation of Conversations With Friends.

Alongside his directing work with brother Josh, Safdie’s latest credits in front of the camera include Licorice Pizza and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Stars At Noon also co-stars Danny Ramirez, who appeared in Top Gun: Maverick and was recently announced as part of the cast of Captain America: New World Order.

Stars At Noon will be available in theaters and on demand on October 14, followed by streaming on Hulu on October 28.