“Tell me how it felt to be onstage,” the journalist played by Kodi Smit-McPhee says to Maria Callas in the new trailer for Maria. “An exultation,” she responds. “An intoxication. I thought the stage itself would burn.” Starring Academy Award-winning actor Angelina Jolie, Pablo Larraín’s Maria is a swooning portrait of that cocktail of emotion. 

Jolie earned an Academy Award for her performance in Girl, Interrupted, and has displayed her incredible range in films like Changeling, The Good Shepherd, Maleficent, and Those Who Wish Me Dead.  

Renowned Chilean filmmaker Larraín is known for such films as Jackie, Spencer, No, Neruda, and 2023’s El Conde, which garnered a Best Cinematography Oscar nomination for Edward Lachman’s chiaroscuro work.

Larraín says, “I’m excited to partner again with the Netflix team who care so passionately about movies. This film is my most personal work yet. It is a creative imagining and psychological portrait of Maria Callas who, after dedicating her life to performing for audiences around the world, decides finally to find her own voice, her own identity, and sing for herself. I’m deeply honored to tell this story and share it with audiences worldwide like Maria did with her life.”

Maria marks a new collaboration between Larraín and Lachman, who was also nominated for Academy Awards for his work on Carol and Far From Heaven. And it’s the second Larraín film written by Steven Knight following their work together on Spencer; Knight was nominated for an Academy Award for Original Screenplay for his work on Dirty Pretty Things and is the creator of Peaky Blinders.

Academy Award nominee Kodi Smit-McPhee, Alba Rohrwacher, Pierfrancesco Favino, and Valeria Golino also star.

Find out more about Maria below.

Pablo Larraín

What is Maria about?

Academy Award–winner Angelina Jolie is Maria Callas, one of the most iconic performers of the 20th century in acclaimed director Larraín’s operatic Maria. The film follows the American Greek soprano as she retreats to Paris after a glamorous and tumultuous life in the public eye. Maria reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days as the diva reckons with her identity and life.

Can I listen to the Maria soundtrack?

Yes. The full original motion picture soundtrack will be released by Warner Classics on Nov. 29. Although the film blends Jolie’s voice with the opera singer’s to heighten the sense of audiovisual immersion, the new album features restored audio from Callas performing the extracts of nine operas that appear in Maria. The arias include “Casta Diva” from Norma, “Vissi D’arte” from Tosca, “Sempre Libera” from La Traviata, “O Mio Babbino Caro” from Gianni Schicchi, and “Ebben? Ne Andrò Lontana” from La Wally. In addition, there are also numbers from Medea, I Puritani, Anna Bolena, and Otello.

“The music was her life,” Jolie said of Callas. “Her relationship to her voice and her body, her ability to sing, her presence on stage and her communication with the audience, it was her life. It was the key to her as well.”

You can listen to the first single from the album below: 

Who is in the cast of Maria?

The cast of Maria includes:

• Angelina Jolie (Girl, Interrupted; Changeling)
• Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power of the Dog, Dolemite Is My Name)
• Alba Rohrwacher (Hungry Hearts, Happy As Lazzaro)
• Pierfrancesco Favino (Padrenostro, Adagio)
• Valeria Golino (For Your Love, The Beautiful Game)

Can I see a trailer for Maria?

Yes! You can check out the trailer for Maria above. “Perhaps we could speak of your life away from the stage,” Kodi Smit-McPhee tells Maria. “There is no life away from the stage,” she responds. That bears out in the footage we see from the film — no matter where Maria goes, she’s the center of attention, whether she likes it or not. 

When is the release date for Maria?

Maria will be in select theaters on Nov. 27 and stream on Netflix on Dec. 11. The film previously had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Aug. 29.