04 Nov ‘Typist Artist Pirate King’: Monica Dolan, Kelly Macdonald & Gina McKee Set For Carol Morley Road Movie; Jane Campion Among Exec Producers — AFM
EXCLUSIVE: BAFTA-nominee Carol Morley (Out Of Blue) is underway in Yorkshire, England, on under-the-radar new feature Typist Artist Pirate King, which will star BAFTA winner Monica Dolan (The Dig), Golden Globe and BAFTA nominee Kelly Macdonald (Boardwalk Empire) and BAFTA winner Gina McKee (Phantom Thread).
Metro International has boarded sales on the feature and is launching it this week during the virtual AFM. Oscar winner Jane Campion (The Power Of The Dog) is among exec-producers.
Drawing from the extensive archives of forgotten artist Audrey Amiss, the film is a road movie of her life, using real events and actual dialogue from Amiss’s letters and diaries to create an imaginary trip. The film explores the growing friendship between two women as they hit the road in an electric car looking for endings and reconciliation.
During research for the feature, The Falling and Dreams Of A Life filmmaker Morley uncovered a large archive about the promising Royal Academy student whose life was changed by a mental breakdown.
Morley directs from her original screenplay. Pic is produced by Cairo Cannon of Cannon and Morley Productions (Out Of Blue) with Campion, Anne Sheehan and Reno Antoniades aboard as executive producers. BIFA winner and BAFTA nominee Ameenah Ayub Allen (Rocks) is also producer.
The creative team includes César-winning DOP Agnès Godard (Beau Travail) and BAFTA-nominated production designer Janey Levick (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie).
The film is financed by the BFI, BCP Asset Management, MBK Productions, LipSync and Genesis Entertainment with support from the Wellcome Trust and development financing from BBC Films and the BFI.
Cairo Cannon of CAMP said: “The dynamic between Monica Dolan and Kelly Macdonald is electric, funny and joyous. Carol Morley’s distinct direction strikes the perfect balance between the humour and the realities of Audrey Amiss’s life. Thanks to our superb cast and collaborators, Morley’s Typist Artist Pirate King is set to be a must-see British road movie.”
Also on Metro’s AFM slate are 37 Heavens, set to star Gemma Arterton and Guy Pearce, and sci-fi fantasy romance The Invisibles, with Tim Blake Nelson and Lucy Liu.