Dalíland: Ezra Miller stars as young Salvador Dalí in the upcoming biopic film; watch trailer

The official trailer for the upcoming biopic film Dalíland, directed by Mary Harron, has been released. The trailer showcases Ezra Miller and Ben Kingsley portraying both the young and adult versions of the renowned artist Salvador Dalí.

As The Hollywood Reporter notes, Dalíland centers on a gallery assistant, played by newcomer Christopher Briney, who is tasked with helping Dalí (Kingsley) prepare for a prominent show in the 1970s amid the artist’s tense relationship with his wife, Gala (Barbara Sukowa). Miller portrays a younger version of the Surrealist painter in flashback scenes.

“Death — it frightens me, and this is the basis of my inspiration,” Kingsley said in one scene from the film that also stars Rupert Graves, Andreja Pejić and Suki Waterhouse. The film comes from a script by John C. Walsh. Daniel Brunt, Chris Curling, Edward R. Pressman, Sam Pressman and David O. Sacks serve as producers.

Miller, who uses they/them pronouns, will next star in Warner Bros.’ upcoming superhero film The Flash. The film is set for release on June 16. Miller has faced multiple arrests and controversies due to their violent, erratic, and unlawful behavior, which had caused speculation about the film’s release. In August 2022, Miller issued a statement stating that they were undergoing treatment for “complex mental health issues.”

Daliland features Ezra Miller in a small supporting role as a young Salvador Dalí and Ben Kingsley as an adult Dalí. When the film was surrounded by multiple controversies following Miller’s erratic behaviors, the director commented on Miller’s role in the Salvador Dalí biopic and confirmed that Miller’s scenes were not cut from the film.

“The film was completely finished and wrapped,” Harron said at the time. “It might have been different, especially if we were shooting, if there had been bad behavior during that. But this all happened after the film was not only filmed, but edited and mixed and done. I also felt like everybody shot all those things in good faith. Nothing bad happened during our filming, and the film is the film.”

Harron continued, “I’m not condoning anything they’ve done wrong. I think it doesn’t matter how talented someone is, if they’ve done anything wrong, they have to face it. I also think that clearly this is not just a young star acting out. This is much more serious. This seems like something that needs a serious intervention, which I hope has happened.”

“They turned in a completely realized performance,” Harron said of Miller’s work in her new film. “They were very professional and nice to everybody. There was no trouble or a sign of trouble on set. So it was very upsetting and terrible to read what happened later. Reading this stuff was very sad—very sad for everybody involved. Hopefully they are getting help for what sounds like a very, very serious break.”

Dalíland will be released on June 9, 2023. Watch the new trailer below!