Jessica Chastain has solidified her status as one of Hollywood’s most bankable actors with critically acclaimed films to her credit, resulting in Academy Award nominations for The Help and Zero Dark Thirty and a Best Actress win for The Eyes of Tammy Faye. While her career is notably marked by roles in horror and drama, she also starred in a string of action films, with Ava and The 355 marking her continued foray into the genre. She channels that same energy with her upcoming high-stakes thriller.
Chastain plays a former country star searching for her missing niece in Netflix’s Heartland, a neo-noir mystery from writer-director Shana Feste (Country Strong, The Greatest). An admitted film noir lover, Feste moves away from traditional small-town tropes and sets the plot squarely in Nashville’s seedy underbelly, crafting a story in the same vein as 1974’s Chinatown. While the official Heartland trailer teases a massive country-music-industry conspiracy, a new clip confirms the corruption extends to the lower levels of bureaucracy.
The Heartland teaser offered a glimpse of Misty Jones’ (Chastain) unrelenting grit, embracing her heyday moniker, “The Queen of Mean,” and doubling down on it. Speaking with People, Chastain said she felt like John Wayne in the movie, adding that the one thing she loves about the story is how it explores “a woman’s choice to walk away.” Highly regarded for portraying fierce and resilient characters, Chastain has championed women’s agency and independence in her previous films, including Miss Sloane, Woman Walks Ahead, and Molly’s Game.
Heartland features a stacked ensemble starring country singers and songwriters Jennifer Nettles and Carter Faith, joined by Oscar-nominated John Hawkes (Winter’s Bone) and Tulsa King regular Garrett Hedlund, who first broke into the industry with Troy and Friday Night Lights. The film adds to Chastain’s repertoire of onscreen musical performances. Her singing chops were most recently showcased in the Showtime biographical drama miniseries George & Tammy, where she portrayed country artist Tammy Wynette.
Chastain has explored all film genres throughout her career, including a rare comedic role in Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted. Unfazed by the prospect of performing onstage with musical legends in Heartland, she said she studied and practiced her singing parts ahead of filming. However, she teased it would likely be the last time she’ll ever sing onscreen.
“I’m done,” she quipped. “I mean, I don’t know. I think I’m done. But this, this was a good time. George and Tammy was a good time too, but it was a lot of music on that one. It was a lot of live on set. So, I believe I’m done, but who knows? You never know.”
Chastain’s upcoming projects are well within her wheelhouse. She’s set to star in Lear Rex, an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s King Lear, and My Darling California, a multi-perspective crime thriller. Her long-delayed miniseries The Savant is also slated to premiere on Apple TV next year.
- Release Date
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November 13, 2026
- Director
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Shana Feste
- Writers
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Shana Feste
- Producers
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Jenno Topping, Peter Chernin, Jason Owen, Mark Anthony Little, Randall Poster