:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2)/naomi-watts-bill-murray-the-friend-021125-4-ba9f7f41157b4c52aaefcaf96355077c.jpg)
Naomi Watts and Bill Murray are bringing their real-life friendship back to the big screen.
On Tuesday, Feb. 11, Bleecker Street debuted the trailer for Watts and Murray’s new movie The Friend during the Westminster Dog Show. The movie stars Watts, 56, as a novelist in New York City who is suddenly tasked with taking care of her friend Walter’s (Murray) Great Dane after his unexpected death.
“After the unexpected death of her closest friend and mentor, New York novelist and writing teacher Iris becomes the caretaker of both his literary legacy and his beloved Great Dane, Apollo,” an official synopsis for the movie reads.
Bleecker Street
“Reluctantly bringing the enormous dog into her tiny Manhattan apartment, Iris develops a surprising kinship with the soulful animal — even though his outsized presence upends both her professional commitments and her daily routine,” the synopsis adds. “Together, the unlikely duo begins to move through their shared grief, tentatively embarking on a surprising path toward acceptance and healing.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The Friend screened at the Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and New York Film Festival in fall 2024. When Watts spoke with PEOPLE at TIFF, she joked that she was only brought on board the project because the producers wanted to cast Murray, whom she befriended when they made the 2014 movie St. Vincent.
“They mentioned his name, and at first I was like, ‘Oh, god, that’s why they called me. Because they want to get to Bill,’ ” she said at that time. “Because people know that I know him, and we’ve worked together. But when they said that, it just was an aha moment and I couldn’t see it any other way. I was determined, so I made the call.”
Bleecker Street
The movie also stars Sarah Pidgeon, Constance Wu, Ann Dowd, Noma Dumezweni, Felix Solis, Owen Teague and Carla Gugino; Watts executive produced the film along with cowriters and codirectors David Siegel and Scott McGehee.
The Friend will debut in theaters in New York City on March 28 and across the country April 4.
