New Trailer for The Christophers Shows Ian McKellen in a High-Stakes Forgery Scheme

Fans of sleek crime stories should pay attention: a new trailer for The Christophers has arrived, led by director Steven Soderbergh. The filmmaker behind the Ocean’s franchise returns with a sharp tale of ego, legacy, and a dangerous art-world con. Ian McKellen takes the spotlight as a once-celebrated painter whose past—and unfinished work—refuses to stay buried.

Fame Has Faded, but the Ambition Remains

The film follows Julian Sklar, a former star of London’s pop-art scene in the 1960s and 1970s. These days, he no longer creates, his money has evaporated, and his family life has splintered. Still, his two estranged children are counting on an inheritance that could change everything.

Driven by that expectation, they hire Lori—a restorer with a history as a forger—to slip into Julian’s world under a false identity. Her target: eight unfinished canvases Julian has kept hidden away in storage. The scheme is both simple and wildly reckless—finish the paintings, return them to their place, and after Julian’s death “rediscover” them as a sensational lost find.

Tension, Deception, and a Moral Tightrope

The trailer teases a claustrophobic atmosphere where everyone has an angle and no one is entirely trustworthy. McKellen appears to relish the role, playing Julian as a man fully aware of his former glory and his present decline. The lingering question is who is manipulating whom—and who will pay the price when the plan starts to unravel.

Blending dry humor with drama, the story digs into old family wounds, greed, and the slippery value of art itself. Expect pointed dialogue, escalating pressure, and a plot that thrives in morally gray territory.

A Strong Cast and a Proven Creative Team

Alongside McKellen, the cast includes Michaela Coel, Jessica Gunning, and James Corden. The screenplay comes from Ed Solomon (known for Men in Black), who has previously collaborated with Soderbergh.

The film will be released by Neon, with a theatrical premiere set for April 10. If you’re drawn to art-world intrigue, complicated characters, and scams built on fragile lies, The Christophers should be on your radar.

Source: GeekTyrant