British filmmaker Christopher Andrews is gearing up for his sophomore feature, Cavendish, an “irreverent and original” period thriller set against the witch hunts of 17th-century Britain. Billed as visceral and subversive, the film promises a bold story of female vengeance that turns the period drama inside out.

Set in 1645, on the eve of her wedding into the powerful Cavendish dynasty, Margaret Pardshaw sees her world torn apart when her fiancé is killed and she is falsely accused of witchcraft. Hunted through the forest by Barlow, a ruthless witch finder, Margaret’s only chance of survival lies with Nell, a razor-sharp, fearless poacher living on the fringes of society, who initially has no interest in helping a spoilt rich girl. What follows is a night of relentless pursuit, blood-soaked survival and hard-won alliances. Pushed to their limits and forced to fight back with everything they have, the two women discover that what unites them is stronger than the world that divided them.

The cast is led by rising US actress Sophie Thatcher (Heretic, Companion), who plays Margaret Pardshaw and is also set to appear in Nicolas Winding Refn’s Her Private Hell, which will world-premiere out of competition at Cannes (see the news). She is joined by Erin Kellyman (28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, Blitz) as Nell and Joe Alwyn (The Brutalist, Hamnet), who takes on the role of the fanatical witch hunter Barlow.

Cavendish is written and directed by Andrews, whose debut feature, the gritty sheep-farming thriller Bring Them Down, starring Barry Keoghan and Christopher Abbott, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2024 and went on to win the Douglas Hickox Award for Best Debut Director at the British Independent Film Awards. Principal photography is scheduled to begin in Poland in September 2026.

The film is a UK-Polish co-production staged by Ivana MacKinnon and Emily Leo for Wild Swim Films, who also produced Andrews’ debut, alongside Rosa Attab and Jacqueline De Croy for January Films, in co-production with Klaudia Smieja-Rostworowska and Bogna Szewczyk-Skupien for Warsaw-based outfit Madants. The project was developed with BBC Film and has also received support from the Polish Film Institute via its cash-rebate scheme.

International sales will be launched at the imminent Cannes Marché du Film by London-based company Cornerstone, which is handling worldwide distribution. Alison Thompson and Mark Gooder, co-presidents of Cornerstone, commented: “It’s rare to find a British action-thriller in this period that feels this fresh, entertaining and original. Cavendish is a real page-turner, with a wicked sense of humour and a bold subversion of traditional female roles.” CAA Media Finance is handling North American rights.