A musical reunion becomes the gig from Hell in the new trailer forThe Ballad of Wallis Island.Carey Mulliganstars in the new comedy from directorJames Griffiths. Focus Features will release the film in theaters on June 30, 2025. Griffiths is a veteran of TV, producing and directing series likeBlack-ish,Stumptown, andA Million Little Things.The Ballad of Wallis Islandis his second feature film, after directing theNick Frost/Rashida Jonesdance comedyCuban Furyin 2014.
In the trailer, folk musician Herb McGwyer (Tom Basden) is subjected to a number of surprises. He’s been hired to play a gig on a remote island by an eccentric millionaire (Tim Key), but the island is considerably more rustic than he was expecting, and the audience of “less than a hundred” he was expecting turns out to be an audience of one, in the form of his benefactor. But worst of all, it won’t be a solo gig — he’ll be playing alongside his ex-bandmate and ex-lover Nell Mortimer (Mulligan), who’s arrived with her new husband, Michael (Akemnji Ndifornyen). When a storm traps them all on the island, they’ll all have to come to terms with their pasts. The film also starsSian Clifford.
After breaking out inAn Education, Mulligan has starred in a wide variety of notable films, includingDrive,Inside Llewyn Davis,Promising Young Woman, andMaestro. She was most recently seen in theAdam Sandlerscience fiction dramaSpaceman. She will lend her voice toTravis Knight’s latest stop-motion animated feature,Wildwood, later this year. Key is a regular in the British comedy scene, best known for playing the sidekick of Alan Partridge,Steve Coogan’s inept TV host. He recently starred inSee How They RunandWicked Little Letters, and can be seen later this year inBong Joon-ho’sMickey 17and inGreg Daniels’The Officefollow-up,The Paper.
Basden is best-known for starring in and creating the sitcomPlebs; he recently starred on the seriesHere We GoandMandy. Clifford played Claire, the long-suffering sister of the title character onFleabag, and recently appeared inYoung Woman and the Sea. She is next set to star in the musical melodramaMother MaryalongsideAnne Hathaway.The Ballad of Wallis Islandis an expansion of the 2007 short filmThe One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island, which was also directed by Griffiths and written by Key and Basden. Basden, Key, Griffiths, and Mulligan all executive producedThe Ballad of Wallis Island; it was produced byRupert Majendie.
The Ballad of Wallis Islandwillhit theaters on July 06, 2025. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates, and watch the new trailer above.
The Ballad of Wallis Island
The Ballad of Wallis Island follows eccentric lottery winner Charles as he invites musician Herb McGwyer for a private performance on his secluded island. Unexpectedly, Herb’s former bandmate and ex-girlfriend Nell, along with her husband, are also invited. Tensions rise amid stormy weather, complicating Charles’s plans.
