Netflix will stream Edward Berger’s The Ballad of a Small Player worldwide on 29 October after a limited theatrical bow that begins in the United States on 15 October and reaches the U.K. and Ireland two days later.
First‑look photographs issued on Thursday capture Colin Farrell’s Lord Doyle prowling smoky Macau casino floors, face slick with humidity and menace.
Adapted from Lawrence Osborne’s 2014 novel, the thriller tracks a debt‑ridden British gambler hiding in the Chinese gambling haven, where an enigmatic companion disrupts his desperate run of luck. Rowan Joffe’s screenplay shepherds the material to the screen under Berger’s direction.
Farrell leads an international ensemble that includes Fala Chen, Deanie Ip, Alex Jennings and Tilda Swinton. Behind the camera, Berger reunites with Oscar‑winning collaborators James Friend on cinematography and Volker Bertelmann on score, joined by production designer Jonathan Houlding and editor Nick Emerson.
Filming spanned Macau and Hong Kong from late June to 25 August 2024, and sources close to the production expect the finished cut to surface on the fall festival circuit before its awards‑season corridor release.
The project extends Berger’s run of prestige literary adaptations following All Quiet on the Western Front and this autumn’s papal drama Conclave. Observers suggest the combination of Berger’s recent Oscar success and Farrell’s post‑Banshees momentum positions Small Player as a high‑profile contender in Netflix’s expanding slate of auteur‑driven features.
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