Check Out Sam Neill, Susan Sarandon and Kate Winslet in the Trailer for Blackbird

Sometimes, all you need is a dynamite cast to grab our attention. So it is with Blackbird, an upcoming family drama that released its first trailer today, currently scheduled for a limited Sept. 18, 2020 theatrical release. The story looks a bit on the familiar side, but how can you not be down for a cast that includes Susan Sarandon, Sam Neill, Kate Winslet, Mia Wasikowska, Rainn Wilson, Lindsay Duncan and more?

Blackbird is about the family of Lily (Sarandon), a woman has been battling disease for many years. When Lily decides to end her life, she gathers her family and friends together for an extended goodbye. As the official synopsis reads:

Lily (Susan Sarandon) and Paul (Sam Neill) summon their loved ones to their beach house for one final gathering after Lily decides to end her long battle with ALS. The couple is planning a loving weekend complete with holiday traditions, but the mood becomes strained when unresolved issues surface between Lily and her daughters Jennifer (Kate Winslet) and Anna (Mia Wasikowska). Joining the collective farewell are Lily’s son in law (Rainn Wilson), her lifelong friend (Lindsay Duncan), daughter’s partner (Bex Taylor-Klaus) and grandson (Anson Boon). Her story is ultimately one of hope, love and a celebration of life.

Pretty familiar dramatic material, certainly—it evokes last year’s The Farewell to some degree, and also (oddly) Sarandon’s own Stepmom from 1998, in which she also played a dying woman bonding with her extended family before departure. But the trailer still makes us excited to see this one for its performances alone, which earned Blackbird some solid reviews when it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last year. Check out the trailer for Blackbird below.