In 1891, the first production of Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler was staged. In the hundred-plus years since then, it has became a theater standard, with new productions regularly happening somewhere. It has been adapted to film several times over the years, and now director Nia DaCosta is taking a swing at it in her upcoming film, Hedda .

This time, it’s Tessa Thompson’s turn to play Hedda. DaCosta has also taken some creative liberties with her interpretation of the story: Eilert Lövborg, a man who was once in love with Hedda, is a woman this time, because as DaCosta sees it , the change “helps themes about power and autonomy, about choice, about self-regulation.”

Ahead of the film’s release, keep reading for everything you need to know before it hits theater

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