The Wasp is a 2024 psychological thriller film starring Naomie Harris and Natalie Dormer with Guillem Morales directing from a Morgan Lloyd Malcolm script which she adapted from her own 2015 play.

Synopsis

Act 1- Carla and Heather meet up having not spoken in years, Heather then asks Carla to kill her husband as he has been cheating on her. Act 2- In Heather's apartment, Carla and Heather talk about how they will kill Simon. Carla notices that Heather has framed insects on the wall one of which is the tarantula Hawk which buries itself into the victims stomach and eats their tissue from the inside out avoiding any major organs meaning the victim stays alive, the hawk will then lay eggs then crawl out and die. Heather then points Carla to an information booklet about Simon with photos of him in as well. Carla recognises him as the man that paid her for unprotected sex. Carla is then chloroformed. Act 3- Carla is bound and gagged to a chair and Heather talks about how horribly Carla has treated her and she then threatens Carla with death, that she will take her child from her, that she has already killed Simon. Heather pushes Carla to think that she is going to kill her, so acting on impulse Carla stabs Heather in the chest as Simon opens the door and calls for Heather and while the door opens to the living room the play then ends.

Cast

Naomie Harris as Heather Boxfield Natalie Dormer as Carla Jackson Lilly-Anne Marston-Smith as Carla's Daughter Beau Plested as Toby Olivia Juno Cleverley as Young Carla

Production

The 2015 play The Wasp was described by Lyn Gardner as “enjoyably nasty” and transferred from Hampstead Theatre to the Trafalgar Theatre with Myanna Buring and Laura Donnelly in the roles of Carla and Heather. Production of the film was announced in September 2022 with Guillem Morales, Natalie Dormer and Naomie Harris on board with production company XYZ Films, who are also handling worldwide sales. Their producers Nate Bolotin and Maxime Cottray were announced to be joined by James Harris and Leonora Darby of Tea Shop Productions, Sean Sorensen of Royal Viking Entertainment, and Matthew B. Schmidt of Paradise City Films. Principal photography took place in Bath, England in November 2022.

Release

The Wasp was released in the United States by Shout! Studios on August 30, 2024. It had its world premiere at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival on June 13, 2024.

Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 74% based on 35 reviews, with an average rating of 6.6 out of 10. Metacritic calculated a weighted average of 69 out of 100 based on eight critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. Mae Abdulbaki for Screen Rant said that lead actresses Naomie Harris and Natalie Dormer give "awards-worthy performances" and deliver "intense, nail-biting portrayals of characters who are each deserving of sympathy".

References

External links

The Wasp at IMDb