Anya Taylor-Joy is set to star in a new action thriller film on Apple TV+ called The Gorge, and the trailer offers a brief but perfect callback to her earlier streaming role for Netflix. Taylor-Joy's star has risen exponentially in Hollywood in the last decade, as the young actress has delivered outstanding performances and earned leading roles in a variety of projects on the big and small screen. And while her first credited roles were released just 10 years ago, Taylor-Joy's talent has launched her to new heights.
And in The Gorge, she will literally climb to new heights as an expert sniper hired to guard a mysterious canyon. While this movie appears to be much more action heavy than many of her previous roles, excluding Furiosa, the trailer delivers a nod to a former role with beautiful simplicity. But whether that means the former part will have any more influence over the film or Taylor-Joy's latest character is unlikely.
Anya Taylor-Joy's The Gorge Has A Big Callback To Her Queen's Gambit Role
The Gorge Gives A Subtle Nod To Taylor-Joy's Chess Prodigy
The trailer for The Gorge does a great job creating tension and establishing some early moments in the film. Both Taylor-Joy and Miles Teller appear to be extremely skilled snipers, and both are hired to a very unique job as guardians of the Gorge. However, they are positioned on opposite sides, to the East and to the West, and instructed that they can have no communication with each other. Despite this, the characters find creative ways to communicate and interact to pass the time. In one of these exchanges, Taylor-Joy's character raises a sign which reads "Queen to Rook 5," which is an instruction for Teller's character to move corresponding pieces on a chess board.
Interestingly, this is a callback to Taylor-Joy's leading role in The Queen's Gambitin several ways. For one, that Netflix series revolves around a young woman who is extremely skilled at chess. It also directly references the name of the show by choosing to have the move highlighted for Taylor-Joy be her controlling her Queen, and her character in the show frequently played chess in her mind. This is echoed in the film, which sees her playing chess technically alone, but trying to play with the stranger across the gorge.
Anya Taylor-Joy's The Gorge Character Has Traits In Common With Beth Harmon (Despite Being A Very Different Story)
The Gorge Sniper Feels Very Familiar
While both The Gorge and The Queen's Gambit have very clear and obvious differences between them, there are surprising similarities between Taylor-Joy's characters. Beth Harmon, from The Queen's Gambit, is a lonely and isolated young woman who possesses extraordinary skills. However, those skills are predominantly associated with men in the setting of the show. As a result, Beth appears to be a quiet genius, who struggles to connect with others, and spends most of her time invested in her hobby.
Exclusive: Anya Taylor-Joy and Miles Teller recall how their prior friendship helped elevate their upcoming action-horror romance movie The Gorge.
In a similar fashion, the sniper in The Gorge, played by Taylor-Joy, is also an isolated and bright young woman. She possesses extraordinary skills, and these are even more of a defining marker for the character because they are commonly associated with men. As a result, she spends a lot of time invested in that hobby, though she finds a connection with someone else from that world. Ultimately, the callback in The Gorge is perfect, because it draws attention to this connection, and enhances Anya Taylor-Joy's character overall.
The Gorge follows two elite snipers assigned to guard opposite sides of a deep, impenetrable gorge. As they undertake their mysterious mission, they remain unaware of what lies beneath them, testing their skills and resolve in this suspense-filled narrative.
Release Date February 14, 2025
Runtime 127 Minutes
Character(s) Levi , Drasa , Erikas , Janet , Ruben , Brit , Joel , Air Force Commander
Custom image by Yailin Chacon
English (US) ·