The first trailer for The Gallerist is here, and it might be the most deliciously twisted premise of the year: Natalie Portman plays a desperate Miami gallery owner who passes off an accidental corpse as the centrepiece of her debut exhibition — and the art world, it turns out, is more than happy to buy it.
Roadside Attractions and Vertical released the trailer on Thursday, November 5, ahead of the film’s theatrical release on December 4, 2026. The dark comedy pairs Portman with Jenna Ortega, and the footage suggests a sharp satire of the art world’s vanity, money and fame, set against the glittering excess of Art Basel Miami.
What happens in the trailer
Portman stars as Polina Polinski, an ambitious gallery owner clinging to the edge of elite society after a nasty separation and facing mounting financial hardship. Her debut show is supposed to be the moment that saves her career. Then a fatal accident at the gallery leaves her with a body on her hands — and, in the trailer’s blackest joke, an unexpected solution.
With the help of her assistant Kiki, played by Ortega, Polina decides to present the dead man as a work of contemporary art. The trailer shows the deception spiralling fast: collectors and influencers gather around the “sculpture”, praise its rawness and daring, and start bidding — while the police begin circling. The official synopsis frames the question the film wants audiences to chew on: will Polina end up famous, a felon, or both?
The trailer leans into the absurdity without winking too hard. The gallery crowd treats the body with the same hushed reverence it would give any installation, and the comedy comes from how little anyone is willing to question what they are looking at. It is a premise that only works if the satire stays pointed, and the footage suggests director Cathy Yan knows exactly which target she is aiming at.
A deep ensemble behind the scam
Alongside Portman and Ortega, the cast is stacked with familiar faces. Sterling K. Brown, Daniel Brühl, Charli XCX, Zach Galifianakis, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Catherine Zeta-Jones all appear, and the trailer gives each of them room to register in the chaos around the gallery. Ortega, as the assistant who helps sell the lie, looks like the film’s co-conspirator-in-chief — the character who has to keep the scheme alive while the room fills with exactly the wrong people.
Portman also produces the film, and Ortega serves as an executive producer, which signals how personally both stars are invested in the project rather than simply lending their names to a supporting slot.
From Sundance to a December release
The Gallerist premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival in January, where Yan described it as a “dark satire set in the art world”. It is a homecoming of sorts for the director: her debut feature, Dead Pigs, first screened at Sundance in 2018, and she went on to direct Birds of Prey for Warner Bros. Yan co-wrote the screenplay with James Pedersen.
After its Sundance debut, the film was acquired by Roadside Attractions and Vertical, which picked up the US distribution rights earlier this year. The December 4 theatrical date puts it in the crowded holiday corridor, where a buzzy, star-driven comedy with a genuinely original hook can stand out against bigger franchise fare.
What it means and what to watch next
The trailer’s arrival is the first real test of whether The Gallerist can convert festival buzz into mainstream curiosity. The premise is the kind that travels well on social media — a dead body sold as art is an elevator pitch that needs no explanation — and the Portman-Ortega pairing gives it two of the most bankable names of the moment. What the trailer cannot yet answer is whether the film sustains its joke for a full feature, or whether the satire has anything new to say about an art world that has already been mocked plenty.
Expect the marketing to lean hard on the Art Basel setting and the ensemble in the coming weeks. With tickets for the December 4 opening now the next milestone, the film’s box-office fate will depend on whether audiences show up for a comedy that asks them to laugh at a corpse in a gallery — and at the people willing to pay for it.
Frequently asked questions
When does The Gallerist come out?
The Gallerist opens in theaters on December 4, 2026.
Who stars in The Gallerist?
Natalie Portman stars as gallery owner Polina Polinski, with Jenna Ortega as her assistant Kiki. The ensemble also includes Sterling K. Brown, Daniel Brühl, Charli XCX, Zach Galifianakis, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Catherine Zeta-Jones.
What is The Gallerist about?
Set during Art Basel Miami, the dark comedy follows a financially struggling gallery owner who, after a nasty separation, passes off an accidental corpse as the centrepiece of her debut show — then has to keep the deception alive as influencers and police converge.
Who directed The Gallerist?
Cathy Yan, the filmmaker behind Birds of Prey, directed the film and co-wrote the screenplay with James Pedersen.
Where can I watch The Gallerist trailer?
The official trailer was released by Roadside Attractions and Vertical on November 5, 2026, and is available on YouTube and the distributors’ official channels.