Jessica Hobbs' debut feature, The Offing, to enter production later this year
- Sold internationally by Beta Cinema, the picture is set in the North East of England shortly after World War II and is toplined by Helena Bonham Carter
Jessica Hobbs' post-war drama The Offing is set to enter production later this year. The picture is the helmer's debut feature; previously, she directed extensively for television, including seven episodes of the Netflix hit The Crown, and won the Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for the finale of season 4, War.
The project is an adaptation of Amy Roberts from Benjamin Myers’ 2020 novel of the same name. The story is set in the North East of England shortly after World War II. It revolves around the shy 16-year-old son of a miner, who encounters a hard-drinking, foul-mouthed bohemian recluse who broadens his horizons through her eccentric tutelage.
The cast is spearheaded by London-born star Helena Bonham Carter, a two-time Academy Award nominee and the recipient of the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her portrayal of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in Tom Hooper's The King's Speech [+see also:
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The Offing is being produced by Charlotte Walls and Emily Barttelot for British firm Catalyst Global Media. The outfit developed the picture with support from German company Beta Cinema, with Bonham Carter also serving as one of the executive producers.
Beta Cinema is also selling the project internationally. Distributors Curzon, Cinéart and Madman have united on a multi-territory deal to acquire all rights for the UK, Ireland, the Benelux, Australia and New Zealand. The deal was negotiated by Thorsten Ritter and Tassilo Hallbauer, of Beta Cinema, and Louisa Dent, Marc Smit and Paul Wiegard on behalf of Curzon, Cinéart and Madman.
In a joint statement, Curzon, Cinéart and Madman promised that The Offing would offer “a fresh perspective on post-war England, refusing easy nostalgia and giving us two unique characters striving to create beauty and meaning within a society stifled by years of conflict”.
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