21/08/2025 - Directed by Susanna White, the feature, revolving around the theme of inner conflict, boasts a script adapted by playwright Suzie Miller

According to Screen Daily, British director Susanna White (Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang [+see also:
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film profile]) is working on an adaptation of Australian playwright Suzie Miller’s Tony and Olivier Award-winning play Prima Facie. Production is set to start in London in November.

The plot revolves around the theme of inner conflict: protagonist Tessa is a barrister who often defends men facing sexual assault charges, but her faith in the legal system is shaken after her own assault. Miller herself has worked on the screen adaptation of the play, and Cynthia Erivo (Wicked, Pinocchio) has been announced to play the role of Tessa, previously played by Jodie Comer in the West End version.

While some of the filming will take place in and around the city, the majority of the shoot will be carried out at Story Works Studios, with a discounted hire fee for the independent production, marking the first feature of its kind to be produced at the facility. The 22-acre site, founded by UK producers Damian Keogh and Simon Vaughan, was set up at a former brewery in Richmond, as a temporary facility for the Disney+ series A Thousand Blows, which the pair produced. It was then turned into a full-capacity studio that hosted the production of Universal Pictures’ Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale and Amazon MGM’s upcoming Jack Ryan.

Vaughan commented on the partnership: “Since opening, we have been focused on large-scale projects that use the entire studio, kick-started by producing A Thousand Blows. We are excited now to welcome our first independent feature to the studio and to help support the film by co-investing. Having built out the space over recent years, we are now able to accommodate multiple projects side by side, which makes it more affordable for smaller-scale projects to shoot here.”

Chief executive of Film London Adrian Wootton OBE added: “We know that many independent producers have traditionally thought they couldn’t necessarily afford or get access to bigger studios, kit, costumes and facilities, but these possibilities are open to filmmakers, especially in light of the Enhanced Audiovisual Expenditure Credit [Independent Film Tax Credit – see the news]. Story Works Studios opening its doors to independent film projects is a fantastic example of this.”

Prima Facie is a UK-Australian co-production, with Australia’s Bunya Productions working alongside the UK’s Embankment Films (also handling the sales), in association with Story Works Studios. UTA Independent Film Group and CAA Media Finance are co-representing the film for the USA.