‘Carousel’: First Image Teases the Dark Romantic Drama Starring Chris Pine, Jenny Slate!! Check It Out!!

The weather outside might be getting increasingly frightful, but for cinema lovers, that simply means that one of the biggest events is just around the corner. Today, ahead of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, audiences are invited to take a first look at the latest film to come from director Rachel Lambert, who previously wowed the annual celebration’s attendees in 2023 with her film Sometimes I Think About Dying. Starring Chris Pine (Don’t Worry Darling) and Jenny Slate (Dying for Sex), the dark romantic drama follows a divorced doctor (Pine), whose life is flipped on its head in the most peculiar way after his daughter joins her school’s debate team. Things get all the more messy after a love from his past forces him to come face-to-face with his own questionable choices and maybe even give himself enough grace to land a second chance.

In the first look image, we see the two characters at the center of the story, played by Slate and Pine. The pair walks through the quiet, colorful streets of a Cleveland suburb while smiling at one another, leading us to believe that Slate’s character might be the second shot at romance that Pine’s is looking for.

Along with the leading talents of Slate and Pine, the latest to come from the mind of Lambert also includes an ensemble made up of Abby Ryder Fortson (Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret), Sam Waterston (Law & Order), and Katey Sagal (Married… with Children). After serving as a producer on past titles such as Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves and All the Old Knives, Pine adds another credit to his repertoire with Carousel, in which he’ll be joined by Alex Saks, David Lipper, Robert A. Daly Jr,. and Ian Gotler.

What Else Do ‘Carousel’s Stars Have Coming Up?

In addition to Carousel, Pine is currently working alongside a stacked cast that includes Cate Blanchett, Dave Bautista, and Lily-Rose Depp in David and Nathan Zellner’s upcoming sci-fi comedy flick, Alpha Gang. Likewise, his Carousel co-star, Slate, has her hands full with a slew of other projects on the way, which include Kornél Mundcruzó’s At the Sea, Perry Blackshear’s Mindful, John Stevenson’s The Ark and the Aardvark, and Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado’s Forgotten Island.