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PRODUCTION Ireland / UK / USA

Yorgos Lanthimos wraps The Favourite

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- Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz and Olivia Colman star in palace intrigue tale from globally renowned auteur

Yorgos Lanthimos wraps The Favourite
Director Yorgos Lanthimos and actresses Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz

Yorgos Lanthimos has wrapped principal photography in London on The Favourite [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, based on a screenplay by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara. The film is a bawdy, acerbic tale of royal intrigue, passion, envy and betrayal in the court of Queen Anne in early 18th century England. At the centre of the story is the Queen, whose relationship with her confidante, adviser and clandestine lover Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough is turned upside down by the arrival of the Duchess’s younger cousin Abigail.

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The film features Emma Stone, fresh off her BAFTA, Oscar and Golden Globe turn in La La Land, Rachel Weisz, who was in Lanthimos’ The Lobster [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Yorgos Lanthimos
film profile
]
and won an Oscar for The Constant Gardener [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, and Olivia Colman, who recently won a Golden Globe for The Night Manager. Additional cast includes Mark Gatiss (Sherlock), Joe Alwyn (Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
) and Nicholas Hoult (Mad Max: Fury Road).

After collaborating on The Lobster, Ceci Dempsey of Scarlet Films (UK) and Ed Guiney of Element Pictures (Ireland) reunite with Lanthimos to serve as producers, along with Lee Magiday. Executive producers are Andrew Lowe for Element, Ken Kao for Waypoint Entertainment (US), and Daniel Battsek and Rose Garnett for Film4 (UK). The script was co-developed with the British Film Institute and the Irish Film Board. Fox Searchlight Pictures (US), Film4 and Waypoint partnered on the production of the film and Fox Searchlight will release worldwide.

Dempsey and Guiney said, “It is very exciting to be working together again with The Lobster family and to forge a new team with Film4, Fox Searchlight and Ken Kao’s Waypoint. Yorgos’ view of Queen Anne’s court in 18th century England will be a period film like no other.”

“We are so excited that Yorgos is bringing to life the story of these three amazing women. Film4 is thrilled to be in on-going partnership with this world-class director, and to be reteaming with producers Scarlet and Element, plus Fox Searchlight and new partner Waypoint,” added Head of Creative Rose Garnett and Director of Film4 Daniel Battsek. 

Lanthimos made his feature debut in 2001 with My Best Friend, co-directed by Lakis Lazopoulos. With acclaimed films like Kinetta (2005), Dogtooth [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Yorgos Lanthimos
film profile
]
(2009), Alps [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
(2011) and The Lobster (2015), he has established a reputation as a European auteur. The Lobster won the Cannes Jury Prize in 2015 and Dogtooth won Cannes’ Prix Un Certain Regard in 2009, before going on to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. His latest film The Killing of a Sacred Deer [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Yorgos Lanthimos
film profile
]
is in contention for the Palme d’Or at Cannes this year.

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