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Quick Links The Duality of Eddie Izzard The Miscasting of Rob Chambers A Gorgeous Throwback Aesthetic but Distracting Subplot Doctor Jekyll Hides the Hyde

You're probably somewhat versed in Jekyll & Hyde lore, or maybe even well-versed. Robert Louis Stevenson's iconic novella, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, was first published way back in 1886, and 140 years later, it's been adapted in countless ways and forms. It's a perfect framework for any allegory about duality, and who better than celebrated actor and comedian Eddie Izzard to tackle the dual role with the modern reimagining, Doctor Jekyll.

Sure, there have been a plethora of Jekyll and Hyde portrayals over the years, but this new iteration from director Joe Stephenson and writer Dan Kelly-Mulhern adds a few neat little bells and whistles to the mix such as the titular character taking on the occupation of pharmaceutical titan. However, we're left wanting...

‘Kneecap’, the name of the Irish hip hop group, and the music biopic about — and starring — the groundbreaking trio, opens today on 700+ screens, following up a U.S. tour last fall and leading into another one.

The hybrid documentary, which was a buzzy Sundance title when Sony Pictures Classics nabbed it, recently swept the Galway Film Fleadh and was named Ireland’s Oscar International Feature submission.

Written and directed by Rich Peppiatt, it features group members — Naoise Ó Cairealláin “Móglaí Bap”; Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh “Mo Chara”; and JJ Ó Dochartaigh “Dj Provaí” as themselves, but it’s scripted, and actors, including Michael Fassbender, play their younger selves and family members. With Josie Walker, Fionnuala Flaherty, Jessica Reynolds, Adam Best and Simone Kirby.

The film follows Belfast schoolteacher JJ into the orbit of self-confessed “low-life scum” Naoise and Liam Og. When they come together as three, the needle drops on...

We spoke with Doctor Jekyll director Joe Stephenson leading up to the release of his new British horror film that is reigniting the famed Hammer Films brand. Since 1934, the studio which wasn't initially involved in Stephenson's film but would later lend its hand has produced acclaimed projects that feature the iconic characters of Frankenstein, Dracula, and more. And now, Stephenson has helmed a modern reimagining of the famed 1886 novella about two other fictional icons: Jekyll & Hyde.

"I was always using references of British horror of the past and always structuring it as a slow-burn kind of energy heading towards a chaotic climax," Stephenson told MovieWeb about the development process. "That kind of was a bit of like, really what they did in the '60s and '70s. A lot of those films have that slow-burn beginning, just people wandering around saying that things look spooky, and then chaos.

For decades, Hammer Studios was synonymous with monsters. And heaving breasts. And blood. Their classics “Curse of Frankenstein” and “Horror of Dracula” helped yank iconic movie monsters out of their spooky old castles and into a violent, sensual cinematic era (which also had castles). There was nothing wrong with these iconic boogeymen. They just needed a bit of updating.

Hammer Studios closed its doors in 1979, but the icons persisted. Since the production company came back in the late 2000s, they’ve shied away from the classic creature pantheon, instead releasing what we can generously call a mixed-bag of paranormal potpourri. They’ve made at least one excellent film — Matt Reeves’ “Let Me In,” a surprisingly sturdy remake of Tomas Alfredson’s acclaimed “Let the Right One In” — followed by some respectable (and less-respectable) thrillers, and a smattering of haunted houses.

Now, finally, they have unleashed “Doctor Jekyll,” an old-fashioned monster...

"An isolated mansion, a mysterious locked room, creepy corridors, a dusty cellar, a mad doctor." Hammer Films has revealed another new official trailer for an indie horror creation called Doctor Jekyll, starring Eddie Izzard as Jekyll. This first premiered at last year's FrightFest horror festival in London, and it'll be out to watch in the US (also on VOD) early in August in just a few weeks. Hammer Films invites you to view Doctor Jekyll, a "modern re-imagining" of the classic tale from the 1886 novella starring Eddie Izzard as a Dr. Nina this time around - a pharma maven plagued by her demons. Directed by Joe Stephenson, Doctor Jekyll is a slow-burn gothic horror that delves into themes of duality, concocting a surprising mix of dark humor and flashes of camp all within a twisted fairytale. This also stars Scott Chambers, Simon Callow, Lindsay Duncan, Jonathan Hyde, Morgan Watkins, Robyn Cara,...

Hammer Films returns to life with a new owner and a new slate of movies, and up first is the Eddie Izzard-starring Doctor Jekyll. The studio has released a second Doctor Jekyll trailer this afternoon, giving a closer look at the horror-induced insanity ahead.

Look for Doctor Jekyll in US theaters and VOD on August 2, 2024.

Director Joe Stephenson, of acclaimed drama “Chicken” and feature documentary “McKellen: Playing the Part,” developed the new adaptation of the classic tale from Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 novella with first time writer Dan Kelly-Mulhern.

Doctor Jekyll focuses on a reclusive Nina Jekyll finding friendship with her newly hired help, Rob, played by rising star Scott Chambers, who must work together to prevent Hyde from destroying her life.

The film is described as “a slow-burn gothic horror that delves into themes of duality, concocting a surprising mix of dark humor and flashes of camp within a twisted fairytale.

Hammer Films returns to life with a new owner and a new slate of movies, and up first is the Eddie Izzard-starring Doctor Jekyll. While the new Hammer horror film debuted in UK cinemas last Halloween, it’s finally set to make its way stateside this summer.

Look for Doctor Jekyll in US theaters and VOD on August 2, 2024.

Director Joe Stephenson, of acclaimed drama “Chicken” and feature documentary “McKellen: Playing the Part,” developed the new adaptation of the classic tale from Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 novella with first time writer Dan Kelly-Mulhern.

Doctor Jekyll focuses on a reclusive Nina Jekyll finding friendship with her newly hired help, Rob, played by rising star Scott Chambers, who must work together to prevent Hyde from destroying her life.

The film is described as “a slow-burn gothic horror that delves into themes of duality, concocting a surprising mix of dark humor and flashes...

“Always be two steps ahead,” repeatedly says Rachel Hyde, the famous alter ego of the namesake character in Hammer Studios’ “Doctor Jekyll.” The film’s director, Joe Stephenson, and his screenwriter Dan Kelly-Mulhern don’t take her advice, and it’s much to the detriment of their contemporary adaptation of the 1886 Robert Louis Stevenson novella, which can’t decide singularly what Jekyll’s transformation is a metaphor for. All volunteered options are either obvious or severely undercooked. Though Stephenson offers plenty of suitably spooky imagery, and importantly finds a more-than-game collaborator in Izzard as both the good and evil doctor, “Doctor Jekyll” is meandering and empty, an update with neither enough loyalty to its source material or imagination to make its departures meaningful.

The film stars Scott Chambers as Rob Stevenson, a just-released ex-convict whose brother Ewan (Morgan Watkins) secures him a job “providing care” for Dr. Nina Jekyll (Izzard...

Stars: Eddie Izzard, Lindsay Duncan, Scott Chambers, Robyn Cara, Morgan Watkins | Written by Dan Kelly-Mulhern | Directed by Joe Stephenson

Eddie Izzard stars in this gender-flipped reboot of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic horror story. Produced by the resurrected Hammer Studio, it’s creepy and atmospheric, but altogether too restrained, when it should have been allowed to run riot.

A newspaper headline at the beginning of Doctor Jekyll states that “Trans CEO Nina Jekyll” (Eddie Izzard), the head of a large pharmaceutical corporation, has become a recluse, disappearing from the public eye due to health issues. In fact, she’s holed up at a lavish British mansion, where her no-nonsense housekeeper Poole (Lindsay Duncan) has been trying to hire a live-in care assistant to assist Nina with taking her medication and various other duties.

Enter Rob Stevenson (Scott Chambers) – and yes, his middle name is Louis – a young man who has recently served time in prison,...

Hammer Films is delighted to announce that their upcoming horror thriller Doctor Jekyll will be available exclusively in the UK on Digital Download from 11th March 2024. An isolated mansion, a mysterious locked room, creepy corridors, a dusty cellar and a mad doctor… Hammer Horror is back! Dive into the haunting and enigmatic world of Doctor Jekyll. Starring the incomparable Eddie Izzard in a role like you’ve never seen before. A fresh, horror-filled take on a timeless tale, this adaptation promises to send shivers down your spine. Adapted from Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 novel, Doctor Jekyll is directed by Joe Stephenson, and also stars Scott Chambers and Simon Callow, as well as Lindsay Duncan, Jonathan Hyde, Morgan Watkins and Robyn Cara.

“In a year that marks a monumental milestone for Hammer Films, our 90th anniversary, we are proud to present ‘Doctor Jekyll’. This release is not just a new chapter...

I greatly looked forward to the ‘sequel’ rebirth of Hammer Horror into today’s age. It is important to note that those of us who delighted in the Halcyon days of Hammer Studios with the likes of Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, Sherlock Holmes, The Reptile, The Gorgon, and many others stalking around opulent yet budget-conscious sets with blood, gore, and low-cut necklines may be in for a bit of shock. Those types of films meaning the ‘Old’ Hammer Studios formula do not work for audiences of today. That is why Joe Stephenson Directed Doctor Jekyll (2023) is pivotal to the new ‘John Gore’ era of horror filmmaking, to that end it does not disappoint new and old on many fronts.

This picture is an underplayed subversive delight of duality on many levels. The level of decadency each person has on one another no matter how different they seem. Many cast themselves...

In the age of post-Brexit Britain, heightened racism, aggression towards immigrants and gentrification taking over cities, it’s no wonder that feelings of discontent continue to soar across the board – the system is broken. A state of affairs that filmmaker Beru Tessema channelled into drama short Lions, his thought provoking portrait focussed on two very different sides of this story. A young immigrant family whose application for asylum is rejected and are forced into subpar living conditions unintentionally come into conflict with a pair of disgruntled British men who have been forced out of their homes and see taking advantage of those who equally have nothing themselves as their only route to survival. Placing us in the heart of a conflicted area, an inner London estate where the brutalist architecture and deprived streets and stairways play their own role, Lions is at heart a story about understanding and acceptance which...

Stars: Eddie Izzard, Lindsay Duncan, Scott Chambers, Robyn Cara, Morgan Watkins | Written by Dan Kelly-Mulhern | Directed by Joe Stephenson

Eddie Izzard stars in this gender-flipped reboot of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic horror story. Produced by the resurrected Hammer Studio, it’s creepy and atmospheric, but altogether too restrained, when it should have been allowed to run riot.

A newspaper headline at the beginning of Doctor Jekyll states that “Trans CEO Nina Jekyll” (Eddie Izzard), the head of a large pharmaceutical corporation, has become a recluse, disappearing from the public eye due to health issues. In fact, she’s holed up at a lavish British mansion, where her no-nonsense housekeeper Poole (Lindsay Duncan) has been trying to hire a live-in care assistant to assist Nina with taking her medication and various other duties.

Enter Rob Stevenson (Scott Chambers) – and yes, his middle name is Louis – a young man who has recently served time in prison,...

The official trailer for the new movie adaptation of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde is here. The new Hammer horror movie will be released in the UK on October 27. The trailer showcases Eddie Izzard in the dual role of Dr. Nina Jekyll and Rachel Hyde.

The official trailer for Doctor Jekyll has arrived. Hammer is releasing the new adaptation of the classic Robert Louis Stevenson novella Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde in the UK just in time for Halloween on October 27. Celebrated comedian and actor Eddie Izzard will be portraying the dual role of disgraced pharmaceutical mogul Dr. Nina Jekyll and her monstrous counterpart Rachel Hyde alongside an ensemble cast that includes Scott Chambers, Robyn Cara, Morgan Watkins, Jonathan Hyde, Simon Callow, and Lindsay Duncan.

Hammer has now unveiled the official trailer for Doctor Jekyll, updating the classic Hammer horror movie approach to the modern age. Check...

In this new “ripped from the headlines” thriller, an intrepid reporter goes deep, deep undercover to get to the heart of a controversial story. Oh, and there are no car chases or meetings in dark alleyways. But there is the “dark web”. That’s because, in the most modern take on the “get the truth out there” suspense saga, the heroine never really leaves her modest London “flat”. She’s online, and we’re watching her on her very own computer desktop as she bounces from social media sites to search engines to video “tele-chats”. Still, the danger is very real, along with the truly disturbing subject. And the whole thing truly hinges on the believability of the reporter’s fictitious Profile.

The year is 2014. As the monitor screen “fires up”, we hear the “key clicks” entering a search request for news stories concerning women from the US and Europe...

A computer screen chimes to life. Windows proliferate. Notifications ping. Video-call boxes pop up, tabs multiply, messenger apps ticker endlessly, a stream of bite-size demands for attention. And in the middle of it all, an increasingly frantic, Extremely Online female freelance journalist with money worries and a deadline to meet, makes a series of very poor and deeply unprofessional decisions.

But enough about my average Wednesday evening — we’re here to talk about the newly released Profile, which is exactly like the above description except it also, in extremely dubious taste,...

Profile Focus Features Reviewed by Tami Smith, Film Reviewer for Shockya Grade: B+ Director: Timur Bekmambetov Screenwriters: Britt Poulton, Timur Bekmambetov, Olga Kharina Based on: In The Skin of a Jihadist by Anna Erelle Cast: Valene Kane, Shazad Latif, Christine Adams, Morgan Watkins Release Date: May 14th, 2021 Anna Erelle, a French journalist with a Parisian […]

The post Profile Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

Over the last few years, filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov has become synonymous with Screenlife cinema, producing projects like Unfriended and Searching, and now he’s at the helm of a tech-immersive film of his own: Profile. Something I’ve always appreciated about Bekmambetov’s films—whether it’s the ones that he’s producing or directing—is how he forward-thinking he is when it comes to utilizing technology in the world of film (one of my favorite examples is Hardcore Henry), and with Profile, he proves that there’s plenty of drama to be found online as he manages to crank up the tension throughout this engrossing and harrowing terrorism thriller.

Based on the novel In the Skin of a Jihadist by Anna Érelle, Profile is centered on a struggling journalist named Amy (Valene Kane), who’s barely keeping it together in her everyday life—she doesn’t seem particularly invested...

While some gags don’t land in this story of an ordinary bloke who can’t quite commit to his girlfriend, Col Spector provides an honest look at relationships

Shot in and around London’s Hampstead and Belsize Park areas, this quirky anti-romantic comedy revolves around thirtysomething nutritionist Rob (likably schlubby Al Weaver), an ordinary bloke who can’t quite bring himself to commit, and his longsuffering long-term girlfriend Marta (Cristina Catalina). Keenly aware of how little time is left on her biological clock and desperate to have a baby, she stands by virtually tapping her foot while she waits for him to propose, or at least agree to get her knocked up. Rob, meanwhile, surveys the wildly contradictory advice he gets from his eclectic assortment of male friends.

Some, particularly the ones already paired up and reproducing, counsel Rob to settle for Marta and stop looking for the perfect...

"He's a hunter, he wants to seduce me first!" Focus Features has unveiled an official US trailer for an indie computer screen thriller titled Profile, from filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov. This originally premiered back in 2018 at the Berlinale & SXSW Film Festival, which is when I first saw it (here's my positive review). The content might be exactly why it has taken so long for it to finally open. An undercover British journalist infiltrates the online propaganda of the so-called Islamic State, only to be sucked in by her recruiter. The film basically asks "how could a woman be seduced and tricked into joining Isis and becoming a sex slave?" Well, you have to watch to find out. The unconventional thriller plays out entirely on a computer screen in the Screenlife style. Starring Valene Kane & Shazad Latif, plus Christine Adams, Morgan Watkins, Amir Rahimzadeh, and Emma Cater. This is a chilling cautionary tale,...

The best and most harrowing addition to the quickly growing sub-genre of movies that take place entirely within the space of a computer screen, Timur Bekmambetov’s “Profile” brings a new and much-needed dimension to its conceit by using it in the service of a semi-realistic story. That’s uncharted territory for a type of filmmaking which — like so many cinematic innovations before it — was born out of shlock. Asinine early attempts like Nacho Vigalando’s “Open Windows” suggested that a degree of absurdity was required to justify the aesthetic, while “Unfriended” (which Bekmambetov produced) was only willing to trace the connection between digital relationships and real-world consequences to a certain point; what began as a cautionary tale about online bullying ended as a supernatural horror story about a Skype-loving demon.

“Profile” is different. While nobody is ever going to confuse the movie for a documentary — making for at...

Bill Nighy’s detective leads a fine cast in this deliciously atmospheric adaptation of Peter Ackroyd’s Victorian murder mystery

All the world’s a bloody stage in this gothic Victorian East End melodrama, splendidly adapted from a 1994 novel by Peter Ackroyd. A tale of theatrical murder drenched in the rich hues of classic-period Hammer, this gaslit treat sets Bill Nighy’s Scotland Yard detective on the trail of a grisly killer in 1880s London. Swinging between the ghoulish gaiety of the music hall and the grim stench of the morgue, the second feature from Insensibles/Painless director Juan Carlos Medina is a deliciously subversive affair, nimbly adapted by super-sharp screenwriter Jane Goldman and vivaciously played by an impressive ensemble cast.

“Let us begin, my friends, at the end,” drawls our host, drawing back the curtain on a city terrorised by a killer named after a beast from Jewish folklore.

"He who observes spills no less blood than he who inflicts the blow." Lionsgate has debuted a trailer for The Limehouse Golem, a new gothic horror film that premiered at the Toronto and Sitges Film Festivals last year. Bill Nighy stars a London detective investigating the mysterious case of the "Limehouse Golem", a meticulous serial killer haunting the streets of Victorian London. The cast includes Olivia Cooke, Sam Reid, Douglas Booth, Eddie Marsan, Daniel Mays, Maria Valverde, and Morgan Watkins. I do remember hearing some good things out of the film festivals last year, and this certainly looks interesting. There's obviously some twists and turns, hopefully, and it seems like a chilling gothic thriller the likes of Sherlock Holmes meets Jack the Ripper. This may be a perfect film for October, or anytime for horror fans. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Juan Carlos Medina's The Limehouse Golem, from...

"Scallops. You've got a bath full of scallops." Check out this quirky trailer for a very odd indie comedy called Scottish Mussel, which is an awkward play on words considering this is a romantic comedy and yet it's also about mussels, meaning molluscs. Scottish Mussel is the directorial debut of actress Talulah Riley, who also stars in the film as the conservationist beauty who falls for an an illegal pearl fisher. Martin Compston plays a "Glaswegian chancer" who head to the Scottish Highlands to make money diving for pearls with his two friends. The romance angle is extremely cliched, with the obvious aspect of the two of them hating each other before she convinces him that mussels are worth saving. The cast includes Morgan Watkins, Joe Thomas, Harry Enfield, Rufus Hound, Camille Coduri & Marianna Palka. Dive in. Here's the official trailer (+ UK poster) for Talulah Riley's Scottish Mussel, direct...

Scott Chambers gives a detailed and affecting performance as a young man with learning difficulties

This very affecting feature debut from director Joe Stephenson, adapted from Freddie Machin’s play by Chris New, centres on a teenager with learning difficulties (Scott Chambers, superb) who communicates more easily with animals – both dead and alive – than with people. Living in a caravan with his volatile and violent brother Polly (a convincingly wired Morgan Watkins), 15-year-old Richard befriends Yasmin Paige’s Annabel, whose family owns the land they live on. With its clash of natural beauty and societal disorder, Chicken nods towards the template of Ken Loach’s Kes, with Richard doting on pet hen Fiona, a symbol of his own flightless yet nurturing plight. Like the young Leonardo DiCaprio in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Chambers’s performance has tuning-fork precision, his slightly skewed physical movements and scattershot speech creating a childlike...

Against a backdrop of rural poverty, Joe Stephenson’s heart-wrenching drama heads for a climax sticky with violence and horrible secrets

Somewhere in what would seem to be East Anglia, judging by the road names, two brothers live together in a fetid caravan. Older brother Polly (Morgan Watkins), a bad-tempered thug, does the bare minimum to look after the younger Richard (Scott Chambers) who has learning difficulties but a gentle soul. Richard’s only friend is his pet chicken Fiona, a docile bantam he takes everywhere, until he makes friends with new neighbour Annabel (Yasmin Paige, from Submarine).

Continue reading...

Exclusive: Korean sales agent has taken international rights to Joe Stephenson’s directorial debut.

Seoul-based sales agent Mirovision has picked up international rights outside of the UK to Joe Stephenson’s Chicken.

Starring Scott Chambers, Morgan Watkins and Yasmin Paige, the feature debut premiered at last year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival. It also screened at the Busan International Film Festival where Mirovision founder Jason Chae met the filmmakers.

Based on Freddie Machin’s stage play of the same name, the film revolves around an optimistic teenager with learning difficulties, his abusive older brother and the older girl he falls in love with. The play was adapted for the screen by Chris New.

“The film is a fresh, impressive debut and we’re very pleased to have come on board for world sales,” said Chae. “We hope to start picking up more English-language titles. Our aim is to work with new talents and help them in the...

The crime drama tells the story of Kray Twins accomplice Frank Mitchell.

Boudica Film International’s crime drama The Mad Axeman has started its London shoot.

The film, which is based on Gill Adams’ play Jump To Cow Heaven, is the debut feature for director Will Kerley.

Based on a true story, the story see Diarmaid Murtagh (The Monuments Men) playing Frank Mitchell, a criminal who is sprung from Dartmoor prison by the Kray twins in 1966.

Morgan Watkins (Kingsman: The Secret Service) and Elen Rhys (The Bastard Executioner) are also amongst the cast.

Ian Davies and Rebecca Long produce for finance and production outfit Boudica, while Stella Nwimo is co-producing.

Shooting is scheduled to wrap in mid-December.

★★★☆☆ The debut feature from Joe Stephenson, Chicken (2015) - premièring at the Edinburgh International Film Festival - is based on the stage play of the same name with an adapted screenplay co-written by original author Freddie Machin and Weekend (2011) actor Chris New. After a shaky start, this British drama set against the sweeping East Anglian backdrop picks up considerably before reaching a conclusion that packs quite the emotional punch. Richard (Scott Chambers) lives in a beaten-up caravan on someone else's land with his older brother, Polly (Morgan Watkins). He spends his days farming and caring for his pet chicken - and lifelong best friend - Fiona.

Chicago – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 30 pairs of advance-screening movie passes up for grabs to the new romantic dramedy “A Little Chaos” starring Kate Winslet from director Alan Rickman!

“A Little Chaos,” which opens in Chicago on June 26, 2015 and is rated “R,” also stars Alan Rickman, Stanley Tucci, Matthias Schoenaerts, Jennifer Ehle, Helen McCrory, Rupert Penry-Jones, Steven Waddington, Danny Webb, Henry Garrett and Morgan Watkins from director Alan Rickman and writers Jeremy Brock and Alison Deegan. Note: You must be 17+ to win and attend this “R”-rated screening.

To win your free passes to “A Little Chaos” courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, just get interactive with our social media widget below. That’s it! This screening is on Monday, June 22, 2015 at 7 p.m. in Chicago. The more social actions you complete, the more points you score and the higher yours odds of winning! Completing these social actions...

Exclusive: Sir Ian McKellen, Vanessa Redgrave in talks for biopic of UK playwright.

Glee star Chris Colfer is attached to lead cast in Noel (working title), the Noel Coward biopic scripted by Bent and Mrs Henderson Presents writer Martin Sherman.

Sir Ian McKellen, Vanessa Redgrave and Jonathan Pryce are in talks to join the cast of the feature, which portrays the early life and influences of the famously flamboyant British playwright, producer and wit who penned classics including Private Lives and Blithe Spirit and who worked on films including Brief Encounter and In Which We Serve, for which he was Oscar-nominated.

The project, which has already attracted sales heat for Metro International ahead of Cannes, will mark the second feature from British director Joe Stephenson, who recently completed drama Chicken, starring Yasmin Paige, Scott Chambers and Morgan Watkins.

Producers are Stephenson with Julia Valentine (The Silent Storm). Executive producers are Colin Vaines, Jane Wright...

Exclusive: Sir Ian McKellen, Vanessa Redgrave in talks for biopic of UK playwright.

Glee star Chris Colfer is attached to lead cast in Noel (working title), the Noel Coward biopic scripted by Bent and Mrs Henderson Presents writer Martin Sherman.

Sir Ian McKellen, Vanessa Redgrave and Jonathan Pryce are in talks to join the cast of the feature, which portrays the early life and influences of the famously flamboyant British playwright, producer and wit who penned classics including Private Lives and Blithe Spirit and who worked on films including Brief Encounter and In Which We Serve, for which he was Oscar-nominated.

The project, which has already attracted sales heat for Metro International ahead of Cannes, will mark the second feature from British director Joe Stephenson, who recently completed drama Chicken, starring Yasmin Paige, Scott Chambers and Morgan Watkins.

Producers are Stephenson with Julia Valentine (The Silent Storm). Executive producers are Colin Vaines, Jane Wright...

Here’s some new images from gritty British spoof comedy film The Hooligan Factory which has been written, produced, Directed and stars Nick Nevern (The Sweeney, Mrs Browns Boys D’Movie). The movie also stars Jason Maza (Shifty, Rise of the Footsoldier), Tom Burke, Ray Fearon, Steven O’Donnell, Morgan Watkins, Josef Altin and Keith- Lee Castle and it’ll be with us June 13th.

Danny (Jason Maza) wants something more. Expelled from school and living in his Grandfather’s flat, he longs to live up to the image of his estranged father ‘Danny Senior’ (Ronnie Fox). Meanwhile legendary football hooligan ‘Dexter’ (Nick Nevern) is about to be released from prison and is on a quest of his own, one of vengeance against his nemesis and rival firm leader ‘The Baron’. But when Danny’s and Dexter’s paths cross they embark on a journey as old as hooliganism itself.

Exclusive: Shoot readies on B Good drama starring Yasmin Paige.

Morgan Watkins (Wild Bill) and Michael Culkin (Downton Abbey) have joined former Screen Star of Tomorrow Yasmin Paige (Submarine) and Scott Chambers on Joe Stephenson’s feature debut Chicken.

Shoot is due to commence in London and Surrey on August 27.

Watkins recently wrapped on Alan Rickman’s A Little Chaos. Culkin most recently played in Bill Condon’s Wikileaks drama The Fifth Estate, which premieres at Toronto. Gina Bramhill (Being Human) and Rada graduate Kirsty Besterman round out the cast.

Weekend actor Chris New has adapted Freddie Machin’s play of the same name, in which two brothers living in a caravan on someone else’s land have their lives turned upside down with the arrival of a new land-owner. Paige will play the new land-owner’s daughter.

As previously reported, Scott Chambers will also act in the project.

B Good produces in association with Bold Turtle...

Exclusive: Shoot readies on B Good drama starring Yasmin Paige.

Morgan Watkins (Wild Bill) and Michael Culkin (Downton Abbey) have joined former Screen Star of Tomorrow Yasmin Paige (Submarine) on Joe Stephenson’s feature debut Chicken.

Shoot is due to commence in London and Surrey on August 27.

Watkins recently wrapped on Alan Rickman’s A Little Chaos. Culkin most recently played in Bill Condon’s Wikileaks drama The Fifth Estate, which premieres at Toronto. Gina Bramhill (Being Human) and Rada graduate Kirsty Besterman round out the cast.

Freddie Machin and Weekend actor Chris New have adapted Machin’s play of the same name, in which two brothers living in a caravan on someone else’s land have their lives turned upside down with the arrival of a new land-owner. Paige will play the new land-owner’s daughter.

New and Scott Chambers had been previously attached to act in the project.

B Good produces...

Lyric Hammersmith, London; Theatre Royal Bath

People go to Saved thinking they know what they will see. They've been told often enough. A baby is stoned to death in a park by a group of youths; a middle-aged woman has her stocking provocatively darned (she's inside it: 'You watch where yer pokin') by her daughter's young admirer. These are the scenes that caused Edward Bond's play to be banned by the Lord Chamberlain in 1965; these are the scenes that have made it famous.

Yet in Sean Holmes's superb production, the play looks less simply confrontational and rebarbative than the stoning suggests. It is intricate, far-reaching and believable. Intervening history – the killing of James Bulger, the Baby P case – may have added to its credibility, but its real force isn't adventitious. The horror begins to look inevitable.

The action uncurls with a series of terrible small blows. A young mother...