Full Breakdown
Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal Reunite for Benh Zeitlin’s Outlaw Romance “Hold On To Your Angels”
5/8/2026, 4:31:13 AM
Reuniting Buckley and Mescal for a New Outlaw Romance
Oscar-winning actress Jessie Buckley and her “Hamnet” co-star Paul Mescal will headline “Hold On To Your Angels,” a film written and directed by Oscar-nominee Benh Zeitlin. Production is slated to begin in February 2027, and the project will be presented to buyers at the Cannes Marché du Film. International sales are being handled by The Veterans, while domestic distribution rights are represented by CAA Media Finance.
From “Hamnet” to “Hold On To Your Angels”: Creative Trajectory
Buckley earned the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in “Hamnet,” and Mescal received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor for the same film. Their previous collaboration also includes a supporting role in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s “The Lost Daughter.” Zeitlin, acclaimed for “Beasts Of The Southern Wild” (Oscar-nominated) and later “Wendy,” returns to feature-length storytelling after a six-year gap.
Key Players and Production Partners
- Jessie Buckley – represented by CAA, United Agents, and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole.
- Paul Mescal – represented by CAA and Curtis Brown Group.
- Benh Zeitlin – writer-director, represented by CAA and Lichter et al.
- Plan B – Brad Pitt and Dede Gardner’s production company (also behind “Moonlight”).
- Alex Coco – producer via Rapt Film (previously produced “Anora”).
- The Veterans – international sales agency.
- CAA Media Finance – domestic distribution representative.
Synopsis and Setting
Set on the crumbling edge of South Louisiana’s bayou, the film follows a hell-bound outlaw (Mescal) and a ferocious shepherd of lost souls (Buckley) who fall into a catastrophic romance as their deteriorating environment “drags them under.” The narrative is described as an “outlaw romance for the end of America.”
Official Statements & Responses
Director Zeitlin called the project “the most impossible love story I’ve ever witnessed,” framing it as a “love letter to an endangered way of life” and a “rally-cry for empathy across a fractured planet.” Plan B praised Zeitlin’s “cosmic sorcery” in his earlier work and highlighted the blend of realism, myth, and magic in the new film. Producer Coco emphasized Zeitlin’s ability to reveal “profound beauty and humanity in parts of America that seldom find their way onto the silver screen.”
Verbatim Quotes
- “ Zeitlin said about the film, “Hold on to Your Angels is the most impossible love story I’ve ever witnessed — an outlaw romance for the end of America, set on the crumbling edge of South Louisiana.” — Benh Zeitlin, Director
- “I’ve been dreaming of telling it since its hero, Pam Harper, walked into an audition for Beasts of the Southern Wild seventeen years ago. It’s a love letter to an endangered way of life — and a rallying cry for empathy across a fractured planet.” — Benh Zeitlin, Director
- “Benh Zeitlin absolutely stunned us and the world at large with the cosmic sorcery of ‘Beasts Of The Southern Wild’. With ‘Hold On To Your Angels’, Benh has set his powerful mix of intense realism, myth, and magic against the large scale of an epic love story. This is a writer/director with a vision for the ages and we could not be more proud to be by his side to make this film with Jessie and Paul,” — Plan B
- “After years of working with filmmakers that explore the overlooked corners of our world, I can recognize Benh Zeitlin as a filmmaker with that rare gift: the ability to reveal profound beauty and humanity in parts of America that seldom find their way onto the silver screen.” — Alex Coco, Producer (Rapt Film)
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Sources differ on the production start date: some mention simply “February,” while others specify February 2027. A typographical error lists the announcement date as “May 67” in one outlet. No official release date has been announced, and details about the film’s budget or casting beyond the leads remain undisclosed.
What’s Next: Cannes Market and Production Timeline
The film will be introduced to buyers at the Cannes Marché du Film (May 12-20). Following the February 2027 shoot, the project’s post-production schedule and eventual release window have not been publicly detailed. Industry observers anticipate that the high-profile reunion of Buckley and Mescal, combined with Zeitlin’s reputation, will generate significant market interest.
