A new William Shakespeare movie directed by an Oscar winner has debuted with a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes. Shakespeare is perhaps the most notable playwright in the English language, having penned iconic Elizabethan dramas, histories, and comedies including Hamlet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Richard III, Macbeth, and Romeo and Juliet.
Innumerable movies adapted from Shakespeare plays have hit the screen from the very beginning of the art form. These range from early silent movies like 1916’s The Merchant of Venice to modern adaptations such as 1999’s 10 Things I Hate About You (reimagining The Taming of the Shrew) and 2006’s She’s the Man (reimagining Twelfth Night).
However, there are also a number of movies telling the story of Shakespeare himself. One of the most prominent is 1998’s Shakespeare in Love, which starred Joseph Fiennes in the title role and won seven Oscars, including Best Picture. Other movies presenting different visions of his life include 2011’s Anonymous and a new title that just debuted on Rotten Tomatoes.
Critics Are Applauding Hamnet
Hamnet has officially debuted on Rotten Tomatoes. The new movie was directed and co-written by two-time Oscar winner Chloé Zhao (Nomadland) and boasts a star-studded cast that includes three Oscar nominees, namely Paul Mescal (Aftersun), Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter), and Emily Watson (Breaking the Waves, Hilary and Jackie).
The upcoming Hamnet is a fictionalized take on the life of William Shakespeare, adapted by Zhao and Maggie O’Farrell from O’Farrell’s 2020 novel of the same name. It follows William Shakespeare (Mescal) and his wife Agnes (Buckley), who has renamed from her most common historically recognized name Anne Hathaway, reeling from the death of their son Hamnet.
Although 2025’s Hamnet will not debut in domestic theaters until November 27, it had its world premiere at Telluride on August 29, so early reviews for the movie have already come flooding in.
Now, Rotten Tomatoes has aggregated enough reviews for the movie to earn an official score on the Tomatometer. While the score could fluctuate as more reviews are added, at the time of writing, 10 different critics have weighed in to give the movie a perfect 100% score.
The individual reviews are also strongly positive, with the movie earning scores such as 8 out of 10, 3.5 out of 4, and A- (twice) thanks to its captivating lead performances and expert direction.
What This Means For Hamnet
Should Hamnet maintain its 100% score, it will become the best-reviewed movie ever for Zhao and Mescal, and tie for the best for Buckley (with Blue Road: The Edna O’Brien Story) and Watson (with The Dresser). This, plus its awards-friendly November release date, could mean that the William Shakespeare movie will be a strong contender at the next Academy Awards.
Hamnet
- Release Date
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November 27, 2025
- Director
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Chloé Zhao
- Writers
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Chloé Zhao, Maggie O’Farrell
- Producers
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Liza Marshall, Pippa Harris, Sam Mendes, Steven Spielberg, Nicolas Gonda
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Jessie Buckley
Agnes Shakespeare
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Emily Watson
Mary Shakespeare
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