Liam Neeson is all bark and no bite in the new trailer for Juan Antonio Bayona‘s eagerly awaited fantasy movie “A Monster Calls.”
Neeson plays a thousand-year-old tree that grows in the backyard of the O’Malley family and serves as the titular monster.
Based on the acclaimed novel by Patrick Ness, the movie follows a 12-year-old Conor O’Malley (newcomer Lewis MacDougall) who attempts to deal with the illness of his mother (Felicity Jones) illness and the bullying of his classmates by escaping into a fantastical world of monsters and fairy tales that explore courage, loss, and faith.
In addition to MacDougall, Jones and Neeson, the cast also includes Sigourney Weaver and Toby Kebbell.
It is expected to be an awards contender based on the novel’s esteemed reputation.
Focus Features will release the film on Oct. 14, 2016.