Watch Ian McKellen and Michaela Coel in the trailer for Steven Soderbergh’s The Christophers

The Christophers is directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Ed Solomon. It stars Ian McKellen, Michaela Coel, Jessica Gunning, and James Corden.

Julian Sklar (Ian McKellen) was once a star of London’s 1960’s and 70’s pop art explosion, but he hasn’t painted in decades and has been broke for years. His two estranged children (James Corden, Jessica Gunning), desperate for an inheritance, hire Lori, an art restorer and former forger (Michaela Coel), to pose as a prospective assistant in order to access 8 unfinished canvases Julian has buried deep in storage. Her plan is to complete them, then return them to storage, where they are to be “discovered” upon Julian’s death.

The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2025, followed by a limited cinemas release in the United States on April 10, 2026, by Neon.