You’ve probably seen the 100 Years movie trailer pop up in your feed at some point and thought it was a joke. It isn't. It’s a real film, locked in a high-tech safe, and you will be dead before it ever premieres.
John Malkovich and director Robert Rodriguez teamed up with Louis XIII Cognac to create a cinematic project that literally nobody alive today will get to see in its entirety. It’s a bizarre marketing stunt, sure. But it’s also a legitimate piece of filmmaking that raises some pretty uncomfortable questions about legacy and the temporary nature of digital culture. The trailer itself doesn't even show the movie. Actually, it shows three different versions of what the future might look like, because the creators know they can’t actually predict 2115.
Honestly, the whole thing feels like a middle finger to the era of instant gratification. We live in a world where you can stream a blockbuster the second it hits digital platforms. Here, you get a teaser for a finished product that is currently sitting in a cellar in Cognac, France. It's weird. It’s pretentious. And it’s kind of brilliant.
What Is Actually Inside the 100 Years Movie Trailer?
If you go looking for the 100 Years movie trailer on YouTube, you’ll find a few distinct clips. They aren't traditional trailers. They are "featurettes" or "visions" of the future. One shows a world reclaimed by nature—a sort of lush, post-human Earth where everything is green and overgrown. Another depicts a high-tech, cyberpunk urban sprawl. The third is a retro-future, looking a bit like how people in the 1950s imagined the year 2000.
Malkovich plays the lead in all of them, but we don't know which one represents the "real" movie. Or if any of them do.
The actual film was completed in 2015. It was then placed into a custom-made safe designed by Fichet-Bauche. This isn't just a heavy box; it’s a time-locked vault that is physically incapable of opening until November 18, 2115. There is no override code. There is no "oops, let's watch it early" button. If the power goes out, it doesn't matter. The timer is mechanical.
The Louis XIII Connection
Why would a cognac brand fund a movie that won't be seen for a century? It’s about the product. Louis XIII is a "prestige" cognac that takes 100 years to age. The cellar master who starts the process will never taste the final result. That’s the hook. They wanted to create a piece of art that mirrored the patience required for their liquor.
👉 See also: When Was Kai Cenat Born? What You Didn't Know About His Early Life
Robert Rodriguez, known for Sin City and Desperado, had to keep the plot a total secret. Imagine being a director and knowing you will never hear a single review of your work. No Rotten Tomatoes score. No box office report. Just silence for 100 years. Malkovich, who also wrote the screenplay, has been equally tight-lipped. He’s hinted that the film is "emotionally charged" and explores the concept of time, but that's about as much as we get.
The Logistics of a Century-Long Wait
The safe traveled the world for a bit—appearing at the Cannes Film Festival and various high-end events—before being tucked away in the Louis XIII cellars. They even issued 1,000 metal tickets to various influential people. The idea is that these people will pass the tickets down to their descendants.
- Your great-grandchild might be the one sitting in that theater.
- The theater might not even exist in 2115.
- Will they even have projectors that can play the film's format?
That last point is actually the most interesting technical hurdle. Digital formats change every few years. Think about it. We went from VHS to DVD to Blu-ray to 4K streaming in a few decades. In 100 years, a digital file might be as unreadable as a stone tablet. To combat this, the filmmakers reportedly used physical film stock. It’s the most durable medium we have, provided the humidity and temperature stay consistent.
But even then, who knows? By 2115, cinema might be a neural link directly into your brain. Watching a flat 2D screen might feel as ancient to them as looking at cave paintings feels to us.
Why the Trailer Still Trends
People hate being told they can't have something. The 100 Years movie trailer thrives on that frustration. Every few months, a new group of people discovers the project and the internet goes through the same cycle of "Wait, this is real?" followed by "This is just a commercial."
Both are true. It is a commercial, but it's also a 100% finished film.
✨ Don't miss: Anjelica Huston in The Addams Family: What You Didn't Know About Morticia
There's a specific kind of existential dread that comes with the 100 Years movie trailer. It’s a reminder of our own mortality. Most of us reading this will be gone. The actors are gone. The director is gone. The movie is a ghost waiting to be born. That’s why it works as a piece of conceptual art. It forces you to think about the long-term future in a way that most "near-future" sci-fi doesn't.
Misconceptions About the Project
One of the biggest rumors is that the movie is some kind of masterpiece that will change the world. Honestly? It's probably just a solid short film. Robert Rodriguez isn't exactly known for making deep, philosophical epics—he makes stylized, fun, gritty movies. If people go into 2115 expecting the greatest film in human history, they’ll probably be disappointed.
Another misconception is that the safe can be hacked. Fichet-Bauche, the company that made the safe, is one of the oldest and most prestigious security firms in the world. They’ve stated repeatedly that the mechanism is set. Short of using heavy explosives—which would probably destroy the film inside—there's no getting in.
- The Safe: Time-locked, no electricity required for the countdown.
- The Film: Preserved on physical stock to ensure longevity.
- The Cast: John Malkovich and Shuya Chang.
- The Release Date: November 18, 2115.
Some skeptics argue that this is all a hoax and there is no movie in the safe. While that would be a legendary prank, the legal contracts involved with the promotional partners and the Cannes appearances suggest there is indeed a physical reel of film locked away.
Navigating the Hype: What You Can Actually Watch
Since you can't watch the movie, what can you do? You can watch the three "visions" trailers. They are stylistically distinct and give you a feel for the "Malkovich-esque" tone of the project.
Search for:
🔗 Read more: Isaiah Washington Movies and Shows: Why the Star Still Matters
- "100 Years: The Movie You Will Never See Retro Trailer"
- "100 Years: The Movie You Will Never See Nature Trailer"
- "100 Years: The Movie You Will Never See Future Trailer"
Watching these back-to-back is actually a pretty cool experience. It’s like a Rorschach test for how you view the future. Are we headed for a green utopia or a neon-soaked concrete jungle?
Actionable Takeaways for the Curious
If you're fascinated by the 100 Years movie trailer and the concept of "long-term" art, there are a few things you can do to engage with the idea without waiting a century.
Look into the Long Now Foundation. They are building a 10,000-year clock in Texas. It’s the same vibe as the Malkovich movie but on a much larger, more scientific scale. It’s about "deep time" thinking.
Explore "The Library of the Future." This is a project in Norway where authors are writing books that won't be printed or read until the year 2114. Margaret Atwood was the first contributor. It’s the literary equivalent of what Rodriguez did with film.
Document your own legacy. The 100 Years movie trailer is a marketing stunt, but it’s also a prompt. If you had to leave something behind for people 100 years from now, what would it be? Physical media is usually the answer. Digital files die. Hard drives fail. If you want something to last, print it or film it on actual celluloid.
Accept the mystery. Part of the fun of the 100 Years movie trailer is that we will never know if it’s any good. It’s a secret that belongs to the future. Sometimes, not knowing is better than the reality.
The film remains a strange monument to human ego and artistic patience. Whether it's a masterpiece or a mediocre short doesn't really matter today. What matters is that it exists, it’s waiting, and it has successfully captured the imagination of a generation that will never see the credits roll.
If you want to stay updated on the project, you’re basically just waiting for 2115. But keep an eye on Louis XIII’s rare anniversary announcements—they occasionally release "making of" snippets that don't spoil the actual plot but show the intense craftsmanship behind the vault and the production.