‘Nuremberg’ Trailer: Rami Malek vs Russell Crowe in TIFF-Bound Drama

The upcoming legal drama “Nuremberg,” written and directed by James Vanderbilt and starring Russell Crowe as Nazi war criminal Hermann Göring, was recently acquired by Sony Pictures Classics and set up a November 7, 2025 release date.

The film, which is set to have its world premiere at TIFF, has released its first trailer. It looks well-shot, but conventional, with meaty roles for two Oscar winners.

Written and directed by Vanderbilt, the film is based on Jack El-Hai’s book “The Nazi and the Psychiatrist.” It stars stars Crowe, Rami Malek, Michael Shannon, John Slattery and Richard E. Grant.

Set after World War II, Nuremberg follows American psychiatrist Douglas Kelley (Rami Malek) as he assesses the mental fitness of Nazi war criminals. His focus turns to a tense psychological battle with Göring (Crowe), Hitler’s ruthless second-in-command.

Best known for scripting “Zodiac” (2007), Vanderbilt has had a curious Hollywood run. He’s proven he can swing between prestige fare and big studio IP, delivering brilliant procedural tension in “Zodiac,” and more recently, revitalizing the ‘Scream’ franchise. “Nuremberg” marks Vanderbilt’s second feature as director, after 2015’s underrated “Truth,” an entertaining Robert Redford/Cate Blanchett newsroom drama.

Crowe, meanwhile, has been phoning it in for over a decade. After peaking with a run in the early 2000s that included “The Insider,” “Gladiator,” “A Beautiful Mind,” “Master and Commander,” “Cinderella Man,” and “American Gangster,” he’s spent the better part of the last 15 years drifting through projects that barely made it past VOD, and indulging in self-parody. “The Pope’s Exorcist,” “Poker Face” (his forgettable directorial effort), none of them capitalized on the charisma that once made him a major screen presence.

“Nuremberg,” then, is promising in all the right ways. The material is fascinating: Göring is exactly the sort of morally compromised historical figure that Crowe can sink his teeth into. We’ll see if it turns out to be a great film, but it not showing up at Telluride or Venice is a slight concern.