‘The Crown’ star is VERY different in Robert Mapplethorpe biopic – watch the trailer!

The first trailer has been released for Matt Smith’s new movie, Mapplethorpe.

The former Doctor Who star plays controversial American photographer Robert Mapplethorpe in the film.

Smith is best known to period drama fans as Prince Philip in The Crown, although Outlander actor Tobias Menzies will take over the role in the upcoming third season of the Netflix series.

Set in New York City in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Mapplethorpe also stars Marianne Rendón as singer Patti Smith.

The press releases says: “Mapplethorpe’s work displayed eroticism in a way that had never been examined nor displayed before to the public. The film explores the intersection of his art and his sexuality along with his struggle for mainstream recognition.

“Mapplethorpe offers a nuanced portrait of an artist at the height of his craft and of the self-destructive impulses that threaten to undermine it all.”

Watch the trailer (warning – contains some sexual scenes):

Mapplethorpe arrives in cinemas on 1st March 2019.

The official synopsis reads: “Robert Mapplethorpe is arguably one of the most important artists of the 20th century. Mapplethorpe discovered himself both sexually and artistically in New York City throughout the 70’s and 80’s.

“The film explores Mapplethorpe’s life from moments before he and Patti Smith moved into the famed Chelsea hotel, home to a world of bohemian chic.

“Here he begins photographing its inhabitants and his new found circle of friends including artists and musicians, socialites, film stars, and members of the S&M underground.”

The third season of The Crown is expected to debut on Netflix this spring.