Steven Soderbergh’s new film starring Ian McKellen and Michael Coel has confirmed a UK release date after opening to rave reviews at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival. Written by Bill & Ted film series co-creator Ed Solomon, The Christophers stars Coel as Lori Butler, a young forger hired by the adult children of renowned artist Julian Sklar (McKellen) to finish his incomplete paintings in order to sell them.
James Corden and Baby Reindeer’s Jessica Gunning play Barnaby and Sallie Sklar, Julian’s kids who plot against him to have his paintings completed at all cost.
Months after its TIFF premiere, The Christophers has confirmed a UK and Ireland release date of 15 May. Moviegoers based in the US can catch the film on the big screen a month before when it releases on 10 April.
Soderbergh’s upcoming offering has earned positive reviews out of TIFF, currently holding a near-perfect critics’ score of 97% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Out of the 31 reviews, critics have unanimously praised the at-odds chemistry between McKellen and Coel, with the two stars involved in “a charming and challenging tennis match between two opposing acting styles” (via Ty Burr’s Watch List).
Courtesy of TIFF
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“What works best about The Christophers is embedded in the performances and characters played by McKellen and Coel, coming at each other with entirely different temperatures,” RogerEbert.com similarly noted.
Elsewhere, the movie has been hailed as “a riveting meditation on art” (via TheWrap) and “a wicked delight” with a “career-best” performance from McKellen (via The Daily Beast).
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The confined dark comedy is Soderbergh’s latest movie following his 2025 releases, acclaimed one-location ghost story Presence, starring Lucy Liu and Chris Sullivan, and stacked spy thriller Black Bag, led by Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender.
Coel will next be seen in David Lowery’s thriller Mother Mary, starring Anne Hathaway as the titular pop star who rekindle her psychosexual affair with fashion designer Sam (Coel) when she commissions her a dress for her new tour.
To be released on 17 April, the movie also stars Euphoria’s Hunter Schafer, Fleabag’s Sian Clifford, and singer FKA Twigs.
The Christophers releases in the US on 10 April and in the UK and Ireland on 15 May.
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Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy.
Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).