Whether he's putting a new spin on King Arthur or rolling around with a bunch of bikers on Sons of Anarchy, we can usually count on Charlie Hunnam to take his shirt off. Well, lest you think that wouldn't happen for his next movie, Papillon, rest assured, the actor will show off that chest of his once more, but this time it's in the early 20th century. For his next cinematic appearance, Hunnam is playing French convict Henry Charrière, a.k.a. "Papillon," and you can watch the first trailer for the story about his imprisonment in the trailer below.
While the original plan for Pacific Rim Uprising was for Charlie Hunnam to appear once more as Raleigh Beckett, Hunnam was unable to reprise the role for the sequel due to his commitment on Papillon, based on Henry Charrière's autobiographies and the 1973 Papillon movie. Just like in real life, Hunnam's Charrière is a safe cracker in Paris, France, but in 1933, he is arrested by the authorities for a murder he didn't commit (and obviously the police come when the character has his shirt off). Despite insisting he's been framed, Charrière is sentenced to life in prison, but while he's living the incarcerated life, he meets Rami Malek's Louis Dega, a counterfeiter who has enough money at his disposal that he agrees to finance Charrière's eventually escape in exchange for protection from the other inmates.
As you can see in the Papillon trailer, and as is the case with almost every prison break story, escaping is easier said than done, especially when you have to carry out your sentence on Devil's Island in French Guiana, South America. But Henry Charrière clings to hope, and spoiler alert, in real life, he finally escaped after nearly a decade. Still, it's the journey that matters, and judging by this preview, Papillon looks like it will be an exciting and thrilling journey. Hunnam's last movie, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, wasn't a hit at the box office (to put it mildly), so here's hoping that Papillon has better luck on the silver screen. It's also worth noting that Rami Malek is also starring this November as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, so that and Papillon will give audiences who haven't seen him in Mr. Robot or any of his other projects to experience his acting chops firsthand. Papillon's main cast also includes Roland Møller, Tommy Flanagan, Eve Hewson, Michael Socha, Ian Beattie and Trick van Wageningen.
Directed by Michael Noer and produced by Joey McFarland, David Koplan, Ram Bergman and Roger Corbi, Papillon debuted at last year's Toronto International Film Festival, and it finally drops in theaters on August 24. To find out what other movies are coming out this year, look through our 2018 release schedule, and stay tuned to CinemaBlend for all the latest in theatrical news.
