Idris Elba & Rebecca Ferguson Face Nuclear Terror in Kathryn Bigelow’s ‘A House of Dynamite’ Trailer
Kathryn Bigelow is finally back in the director’s chair. After her 2017 film Detroit, the Oscar-winning filmmaker is returning with a political thriller called A House of Dynamite. The movie has just released a new trailer, and people are already calling it one of the biggest thrillers of 2025.
In this story, Idris Elba takes on the role of the President of the United States. Rebecca Ferguson plays Captain Olivia Walker, a military officer caught in the middle of a tense situation as the go-between for the White House and the defense department.
The plot begins when an unidentified country fires a nuclear missile headed for Chicago. What follows is pure chaos in Washington, with leaders racing against time to respond before disaster strikes. Netflix first shared details about the story and cast when the project was announced last year.
“An explosively entertaining cautionary tale.” – Indiewire
— Netflix (@netflix) September 25, 2025
From Academy Award winning director Kathryn Bigelow comes A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE.
Starring Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Gabriel Basso, Jared Harris, Tracy Letts, Anthony Ramos, Moses Ingram, Jonah Hauer-King, Greta Lee,… pic.twitter.com/ua0FKGtWKo
The movie brings together a large group of familiar faces. Gabriel Basso plays Deputy National Security Advisor Jake Baerington, Jared Harris is Secretary of Defense Reid Baker, and Tracy Letts shows up as General Anthony Brody.
Anthony Ramos plays Major Daniel Gonzalez, who oversees a military base designed to detect attacks. Moses Ingram is FEMA official Cathy Rogers, while Jonah Hauer-King plays strategy advisor Robert Reeves. The film also features Greta Lee, Jason Clarke, Malachi Beasley, Brian Tee, Brittany O’Grady, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Willa Fitzgerald, Renée Elise Goldsberry as the First Lady, Kyle Allen, Kaitlyn Dever, Francesca Carpanini, Abubakr Ali, and Angel Reese, who makes a cameo as herself.
The world premiere took place at the Venice International Film Festival on September 2, where it competed for the Golden Lion. So far, critics have been impressed. Rotten Tomatoes shows an 88 percent approval rating, and Metacritic currently lists the film with a score of 88 out of 100, calling the response “universal acclaim.”
A House of Dynamite was first revealed in May 2024 when Netflix confirmed Bigelow would direct. Production started in Trenton, New Jersey later that year and finished by December, according to reports from Variety and Deadline. The title itself stayed under wraps until June 2025.
Audiences won’t have to wait long to see it. The movie opens in the United Kingdom on October 3, and then in select U.S. theaters on October 10. Just two weeks later, it will be available to stream worldwide on Netflix starting October 24.
With Bigelow’s sharp directing, a cast full of talent, and a story that plays out in real time as officials face a nuclear threat, A House of Dynamite looks set to dominate conversations this fall. The trailer makes it clear: this isn’t just another political drama, it’s a race against the clock.
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