Move over Liam Neeson, there is a new action star proving that age is just a number: June Squibb in Thelma. The 94-year-young Oscar-nominated actress headlines the action movie, which got its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival and is now set to be among the 2024 new movie schedule.
Thelma was one of the buzziest titles out of Sundance, which is no small feat considering among this year's crop of titles included the Kristen Stewart-led Love Lies Bleeding, the horror movie I Saw the TV Glow, upcoming Netflix movie Hit Man, the dramedy A Real Pain and the truly out there Sasquatch Sunset. But Thelma charmed audiences in Park City and now looks to do that in movie theaters everywhere.
Here is what you need to know about Thelma, including when it is premiering, who's in it and available trailers.
Thelma release date
Thelma has been given a June 21 release date, making it a new addition to the storied summer blockbuster action movie tradition.
It is unclear at this time how wide Thelma is going to be released on June 21, though it seems like a movie that would get a limited release and then roll out to additional markets in subsequent weeks.
June 21 looks to be a popular date this summer, as that also is the premiere date for Austin Butler's The Bikeriders and Blake Lively's It Ends With Us.
Thelma cast
June Squibb got a later start to her movie and TV career, but she has only gotten more prolific in recent years. She has been a guest start on TV shows like Law & Order, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Young and the Restless, Girls, Glee, The Big Bang Theory, Modern Family, Shameless, Grey's Anatomy and more. In movies, she has starred in In & Out, About Schmidt, 7 Days in Hell, Palm Springs, Hubie Halloween and Nebraska, the latter of which she earned a Best Supporting Actress nomination.
Not only is this the first action movie that Squibb has done (apparently including performing most of her own stunts), but it is the first leading role for the long-time character actress.
Though some of her supporting cast has experience in the genre, including the late Richard Roundtree, who gives his final big screen performance after a career highlighted by his role as Shaft, and Clark Gregg, a Marvel Cinematic Universe veteran.
Other members of the supporting cast include Fred Hechinger (The White Lotus season 1, The Pale Blue Eye), Parker Posey (Beau Is Afraid, The Staircase) and Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange, Son of a Critch).
Thelma plot
With a script by Josh Margolin that is said to be based on the real-life experience of his own grandmother, Thelma follows Thelma Post, a 93-year-old grandmother who gets conned by a phone scammer pretending to be her grandson and sets out on a treacherous quest across Los Angeles, accompanied by an aging friend and his motorized scooter, to reclaim what was taken from her.
Thelma trailer
There is no official trailer for Thelma at this time, but the first teaser trailer is available, heralding Thelma as the next big screen action hero:
Thelma reviews
With Thelma having premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, many critics have already reviewed the movie, and just about all of them have been positive. As of publication, the movie has a 98% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, praising Squibb's lead performance and proving to be a movie that has more to offer than just its gag of an elderly grandmother doing action sequences.
Thelma director
In addition to writing Thelma, Josh Margolin made his feature directing debut with the movie. Margolin has worked as an actor and writer in various projects, including shorts, guest appearances on shows like Hot in Cleveland and indie movies, but Thelma is set to be his biggest project to date.
