Amazon Studios has released the first clip of the upcoming period drama, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Claire Foy (The Crown), the film tells the true story of the titular forgotten British artist. It will have its World Premiere at the Telluride Film Festival today, with a showing at the Toronto International Film Festival to follow on September 11. STUDIOCANAL will release the film in theaters and an Amazon Prime Video release will follow, though no date has been set. It is expected to be available in the UK, France, Germany, Australia & New Zealand early in 2022.
Cumberbatch stars as Wain, whose life is complicated and deepened when he meets Emily Richardson (Foy), his sisters' governess. The clip finds Wain interrupting Richardson's preparations for art lessons with his sisters. Supreme awkwardness ensues, though any tension is ultimately dissipated by Emily's absolutely atrocious painting.
The film is directed by Will Sharpe from a screenplay he wrote with Luca scribe Simon Stephenson, based on a story by Stephenson.
These feel like natural roles for Foy and Cumberbatch, who have both distinguished themselves in playing real-life figures. Foy had an Emmy-winning turn as Queen Elizabeth II on Netflix's The Crown, and played Janet Armstrong in Damien Chazelle's First Man. Cumberbatch landed an Oscar nom for playing Alan Turing in The Imitation Game, and most recently played marine prosecutor Stuart Couch in The Mauritanian. They're joined by an impressive cast, including Olivia Colman, Richard Ayoade, Taika Waititi, Nick Cave, Toby Jones, and Sophia di Martino.
No release date has been set for The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, though it is expected to arrive in theaters and on Amazon Prime Video soon. Check out the clip below: