The second trailer for Charlie’s Angels offers a closer look at the new team of Angels played by Ella Balinska, Naomi Scott, and Kristen Stewart. Although it seems like a hard reboot on the surface, the upcoming film is actually a partial continuation of director McG’s Charlie’s Angels movies from the 2000s (which themselves, of course, were based on the original 1970s TV show). And with Elizabeth Banks serving as a director, writer, and costar, the film will also carry over its predecessors’ action-comedy tone, albeit with less male gaze-iness (so to speak).

Written by Banks, David Auburn (Proof), and Evan Spiliotopoulos (Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast), the new Charlie’s Angels features Scott as Elena Houghlin, a young systems engineer whose life is put in danger after she blows the whistle on some potentially world-threatening tech. Before she knows it, Elena finds herself under the protection of and then working for the Townsend Agency, which is now a global organization that has agents running around all over the world.

In addition to introducing Scott as Elena, the first Charlie’s Angel trailer offered a sneak peek of her new teammates Jane Kano (Balinska) and Sabina Wilson (Stewart) in the field, along with their own personal Bosley (Banks). The film is clearly embracing a “bigger is better” approach and that extends to everything from the scale to the Angels’ gadgets (not to mention, wardrobe), and even the sheer number of Angels and “Boselys”. For more on that, watch the new trailer below.

The new trailer focuses less on Charlie’s Angels’ plot than its predecessor did, and instead zeroes in on Balinska, Scott, and Stewart’s rapport in the film, as well as the humor and action scenes. It’s a smart move in terms of marketing, seeing as the franchise has never been known for its rich or thought-provoking storytelling. This also allows the trailer to highlight the movie’s supporting cast, which includes Patrick Stewart as another handler code-named Bosley and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before’s Noah Centineo as a “handsome nerd” who plays a role in the story. Djimon Hounsou made a similarly brief appearance in the first trailer as yet another Bosley in the film.

By the look of things, Banks isn’t trying to reinvent the Charlie’s Angels franchise with her sequel-reboot so much as give it a fresh polish. The film will clearly carry-over the themes of female empowerment and sisterhood from the previous Charlie’s Angels TV shows and movies, but (as mentioned) seems to cut down on the objectification that was especially prominent (and often played up for comedic effect) in McG’s films. It remains to be seen if that’s enough to make the requel feel like a worthwhile and relevant update of the property, but the trailers suggest Charlie’s Angels will, if nothing else, offer some light and breezy fun.

Source: Sony

  • Charlies Angels Release Date: 2019-11-15