Gal Gadot announced on Instagram that “In The Hand Of Dante” is coming to Netflix on June 24, 2026. The film is directed by Julian Schnabel, and Gadot’s caption left no doubt the project was special to her.
“So grateful to have worked alongside this incredible cast, and with the master himself, Julian Schnabel,” she wrote. “What a journey.”
Calling Schnabel “the master” isn’t empty flattery. He’s one of the most respected filmmakers of his generation. His 1996 debut feature “Basquiat” drew immediate praise for its vivid, painterly portrait of New York artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. His 2000 film “Before Night Falls” earned Javier Bardem an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. Then came “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” in 2007. That adaptation of Jean-Dominique Bauby’s memoir won Schnabel Best Director at Cannes. He doesn’t release a lot of films. Each new one gets people’s attention.
The movie is based on Nick Tosches’ 2002 novel of the same name. The book weaves a fictionalized account of Dante Alighieri with a present-day crime story involving a stolen medieval manuscript. It’s ambitious material. Schnabel is exactly the right director for it.
Dante and the Divine Comedy are among the most recognized literary subjects in the world. That gives the film a built-in hook. Most people know the name Dante, even without reading Tosches. Dense material like this can get away from the wrong director. Schnabel has a way of making grand subjects feel personal.
Gadot has been a Hollywood fixture since her “Fast & Furious” days. But “Wonder Woman” and “Wonder Woman 1984” are what made her a genuine global star. She’s no stranger to Netflix, either. She starred opposite Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds in the 2021 action comedy “Red Notice,” one of the most-watched films on the platform at the time. “In The Hand Of Dante” will be a different experience entirely. Schnabel’s films are slow and intimate. His visual approach owes as much to painting as it does to cinema.
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That connection to painting is literal. Schnabel is also a major figure in the art world. His large-scale works – often made on velvet or broken plates – have sold for millions at auction. That background shows up in every frame of his films.
A full cast announcement hasn’t come yet. More details should surface in the coming weeks.
For fans of prestige cinema, this is worth circling on the calendar. The pairing of Gadot’s star power and Schnabel’s artistic credibility is an unusual combination. That’s exactly what makes it worth watching.
