Wild Horse Nine Trailer: John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell & Tom Waits Star in Martin McDonagh’s Fresh Film

The trailer for Martin McDonagh’s upcoming film, Wild Horse Nine, debuted today, showcasing a dark comedic thriller set in the volatile political climate of 1973 Chile. The film stars John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell as CIA agents dispatched to Easter Island shortly before the military coup that overthrew President Salvador Allende.

The trailer opens with Malkovich’s character, Chris, and Rockwell’s Lee, engaged in a familiar power dynamic aboard an airplane. “I’ve killed people in countries you can’t even spell,” Chris asserts, establishing his seniority within the agency. The film marks McDonagh’s first feature since 2022’s The Banshees of Inisherin, and a reunion with Rockwell, who won an Oscar for his performance in McDonagh’s 2017 film, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

Wild Horse Nine also features Steve Buscemi as MJ, the bureau chief who sends Chris and Lee to Easter Island, and introduces Mariana di Girolamo and Ailín Salas as rebellious students who become entangled in the agents’ mission. Notably, the cast includes veteran musician Tom Waits, appearing alongside Parker Posey. McDonagh told Vanity Fair that Waits’ presence on screen is “iconic and mesmerizing.”

Waits’ recent film appearances include roles in Jim Jarmusch’s 2025 film, Father Mother Sister Brother, and Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2021 film, Licorice Pizza. While Waits hasn’t released a studio album since 2011’s Bad as Me, he has revisited his musical catalog in recent years, sharing unreleased recordings and performing a brief set at a 2022 tribute concert for producer Hal Willner, and contributing a performance to the 2023 Italian docuseries Il Fattore Umano.

The film, produced by Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Martin McDonagh, and Anita Overland, is slated for release on November 6. Searchlight Pictures is distributing the film, continuing a relationship with McDonagh that began with Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and continued with The Banshees of Inisherin. The film is expected to premiere at the Venice Film Festival, bypassing the Cannes Film Festival, according to industry observers.