Hamnet Director Chloé Zhao steps onto the Oscars red carpet in black veil as nominations and setbacks collide
Hamnet director Chloé Zhao made a dramatic Oscars red carpet entrance in a black gown and sheer black veil on Sunday night, with the ceremony set to follow. She arrived wearing a look credited to Gabriela Hearst and finished with a diamond Bulgari necklace. The moment landed as Zhao faced a high-stakes night of awards attention tied to Hamnet—and a separate, fresh professional disappointment after Hulu confirmed it would not move forward with a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot she directed.
Hamnet Director look draws attention before the telecast begins
Zhao’s all-black styling—black gown, transparent veil, and diamond Bulgari necklace—became an instant focal point even before the telecast began. The outfit arrived alongside a crowded awards narrative: Zhao is nominated for two awards at this year’s ceremony, and Hamnet received eight nominations in total, including a Best Actress nomination for Jessie Buckley, who played Agnes, the wife of William Shakespeare.
Zhao is nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay with writing partner Maggie O’Farrell for their adaptation of Hamnet from O’Farrell’s 2020 award-winning novel. Zhao is also positioned in a rare Academy Awards milestone: she is one of only two women who have received two Academy Award nominations for Best Director, a distinction previously held by New Zealand filmmaker Jane Campion.
Key developments: Oscars nominations meet a sudden Hulu cancellation
Hours before the Oscars night atmosphere fully set in, another headline shadowed Zhao’s week. Hulu confirmed it would not be moving forward with the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot titled Buffy: New Sunnydale, which Zhao had directed. The decision came a year after the pilot had been ordered, and the project was described as “not a perfect match” between Zhao’s filmmaking sensibility and the series.
In the same window, Zhao’s Oscars momentum remained front and center. After winning Best Director for Nomadland in 2021 during a scaled-down ceremony amid COVID lockdown protocols, she returned to the red carpet with a heavier spotlight—both for her directing recognition and for her role in adapting Hamnet for the screen.
Immediate reactions from collaborators: O’Farrell, Buckley, and Zhao on the film’s tone
Maggie O’Farrell, who partnered with Zhao on the screenplay, described how their working styles aligned while shaping the adaptation. “When it comes to scriptwriting, Chloé and I have very different but compatible skills, ” O’Farrell wrote in an essay for the Los Angeles Times, detailing how Zhao “had a very clear vision of the shape of the film she wanted to make, and which threads of the book she wished to keep and which to discard. ”
Jessie Buckley pointed to Zhao’s on-set leadership and the atmosphere around the production. “She created an atmosphere where everybody who chose to step in to tell this story was there for a reason that was deeply within them, ” Buckley said in remarks to NPR, adding that the cast, crew, and camera “were really creating dynamics and a collective unconscious. ”
Zhao, speaking about the story’s emotional distance and grief, framed the central tension between Agnes and Will. “They can’t see each other for who they are and how they grieve, ” Zhao said in comments to The Hollywood Reporter, describing how Will’s inability to express grief becomes “tragic and painful, ” while also pushing him toward “to be or not to be. ”
Quick context: what Hamnet is about
The film centers on the death of Shakespeare’s 11-year-old son, Hamnet, and the devastating effect on Agnes and their family while Shakespeare works in London. The story explores how the tragedy shapes his writing and influences the creation of Hamlet, a play widely believed to have been inspired by his son’s death.
What’s next for Hamnet director Chloé Zhao after tonight
As the Oscars night continues in the hours ahead (ET), Zhao’s focus remains split between immediate awards outcomes and the aftershocks of the halted Hulu series. For hamnet director Zhao, the next developments will be defined by how the Academy votes land for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay—and what projects, if any, emerge in the wake of the cancelled Buffy: New Sunnydale pilot.
