The “popular movie but gender-swapped” trend is still in its nascency, and numerous more examples are on the way, but we may already have a best-of-breed frontrunner with this trailer for Atomic Blonde. It is, in no uncertain terms, John Wick with Charlize Theron. Notably, it is also John Wick with the welcome addition of more humor and lesbian erotica.
The film is the solo debut of stuntman turned John Wick co-director David Leitch, who walked away from John Wick 2 to instead make this spiritual successor that corrects Wick‘s distinct lack of softcore intermissions. It also acts as sort of a fun, tongue-in-cheek re-invention of James Bond, casting Theron as a drinkin’, sexin’ MI6 agent sent to Berlin to dispatch of whoever has been murdering her fellow government assassins. James McAvoy, in his most enjoyably sleazy Filth mode, co-stars along with John Goodman, Toby Jones, and Sofia Boutella.
This pepper to the pallid Salt hits theaters July 28.
