[Trailer] Idris Elba & Rebecca Ferguson Brace for Nuclear Chaos in Kathryn Bigelow’s ‘A House of Dynamite’
Kathryn Bigelow is back behind the camera with her first movie since 2017’s Detroit, and this time she’s bringing nuclear tension to the screen.
Her new film, A House of Dynamite, just dropped a new trailer, and it looks like one of the biggest political thrillers of 2025.
The movie stars Idris Elba as the President of the United States, while Rebecca Ferguson plays Captain Olivia Walker, a military officer who becomes the main link between the White House and defense officials.
The story follows the chaos inside Washington as government leaders scramble to respond after an unidentified country launches a nuclear missile aimed at Chicago. Netflix confirmed the plot and cast details when production was first announced.
The day starts like any other. From Academy Award winning director Kathryn Bigelow comes A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE.
— Netflix (@netflix) September 3, 2025
Starring Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Gabriel Basso, Jared Harris, Tracy Letts, Anthony Ramos, Moses Ingram, Jonah Hauer-King, Greta Lee, and Jason Clarke. In select… pic.twitter.com/ugseRJQWRB
The cast is packed with big names. Gabriel Basso plays Deputy National Security Advisor Jake Baerington, Jared Harris appears as Secretary of Defense Reid Baker, and Tracy Letts steps in as General Anthony Brody. Anthony Ramos is Major Daniel Gonzalez, the man running a military base built to detect incoming attacks.
Moses Ingram shows up as Cathy Rogers, a FEMA official handling disaster prep, while Jonah Hauer-King plays Robert Reeves, a strategy advisor. Other cast members include 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 film had its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival on September 2, 2025, competing for the Golden Lion.
Reviews have already been glowing. Rotten Tomatoes shows that 88 percent of critics so far are giving it a thumbs up, while Metacritic has it at 88 out of 100, calling the reception “universal acclaim.”
A House of Dynamite was first announced in May 2024, when Netflix revealed Kathryn Bigelow would return to directing with a political thriller. Filming began in Trenton, New Jersey, later that year and wrapped by the end of December, according to reports from Variety and Deadline. The official title wasn’t revealed until June 2025.
The movie will first be released in theaters in the United Kingdom on October 3, before hitting select theaters in the United States on October 10. Just two weeks later, it will stream worldwide on Netflix starting October 24.
With a stacked cast, Bigelow’s sharp eye for suspense, and a story that unfolds in real time as officials face down nuclear disaster, A House of Dynamite is already shaping up to be one of the most talked-about thrillers of the year. The trailer makes it clear: this isn’t just a political drama, it’s a race against the clock.
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