Saltburn: Erotic gay thriller starring Euphoria’s Jacob Elordi could be biggest queer film of the year
Barry Keoghan will obsess over Jacob Elordi in new twisted thriller Saltburn. (Twitter/@BarryKeoghan/Daniel Jackson/Calvin Klein Underwear)
Saltburn will reportedly see Jacob Elordi and Barry Keoghan embark on a dark, sexy and queer adventure.
From Heartstopper to Bottoms and Red, White and Royal Blue, there’s plenty of feel-good LGBTQ+ content to watch right now.
But for those who like their stories a little darker, something is missing. Where are all the LGBTQ+ thriller movies?
Thankfully, the second half of 2023 looks set to be serving in that specific genre. By the time December rolls around, the community will have Anne Hathaway’s sapphic psychological thriller Eileen, and now Saltburn, a new film starring Euphoria’s Elordi and The Banshees of Inisherin’s Barry Keoghan.
Directed by Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman), and described as “a wicked tale of privilege and desire”, Saltburn is the obsessive thriller the gays have been looking for.
What is Saltburn about?
Oliver is studying at Oxford University in the early Noughties, and struggling to find his tribe. Before long, he becomes obsessed with fellow student, the “charming and aristocratic” Felix.
Felix invites Oliver to meet his “eccentric” family on their huge estate in Saltburn, the British town which gives the film its name. According to the enthralling early synopsis, the pair will then embark on a “summer never to be forgotten”, which somehow sounds as ominous as it does erotic.
There’s also said to be a lot of “nudity” and “explicit scenes”. If that’s the case, consider us well and truly seated.
Who stars in Saltburn?
Keoghan playx Oliver, while Elordi is Felix.
Even if the cast were just these two alone, it would already be a winning one.
Keoghan was nominated for best supporting actor at this year’s Oscars and bagged a BAFTA for his role as Dominic Kearney in comedy drama The Banshees of Inisherin, while Euphoria villain Elordi is one of the most sought-after young actors in recent years.
He’s currently gearing up to star as Elvis Presley in Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla.
Alongside Keoghan and Elordi is Carey Mulligan, who will no doubt be hoping to emulate the success she enjoyed in Promising Young Woman. She earned herself a best actress Oscar nod in 2021 for her role as Cassie Thomas.
Joining Mulligan in a yet-to-be-announced role is fellow Academy Award nominee Rosamund Pike, while Richard E. Grant will play Sir James, seemingly Felix’s father.
While Fennell wrote and directed the film, it’s produced by her Promising Young Woman colleague Josey McNamara, Barbie‘s Tom Ackerley and Margot Robbie.
When will Saltburn be released?
The rest of the year is looking to be a dry period for cinema due to the ongoing Hollywood strike, however Saltburn has been confirmed to premiere on 24 November. It will be shown first in New York and Los Angeles, before a wider rollout on 1 December.
