Succession star Matthew Macfadyen has joined Rachel Weisz in Tomas Alfredson’s Seance on a Wet Afternoon.
Alfredson (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) directs based on a script from the Emmy-winning Jack Thorne, writer on the hit series Adolescence and the BBC’s upcoming Lord of the Flies. Filming is now underway in the U.K.
The movie follows Myra (Weisz), a self-proclaimed medium who convinces her husband, Billy (Macfadyen), to kidnap the son of a wealthy family so she can lead the police to the “missing” child and legitimize her psychic abilities. When Myra’s true intentions come to light, however, Billy realizes her plan threatens to consume them both.
Seance on a Wet Afternoon is an adaptation of Mark McShane’s 1961 novel. It was last adapted for film by Bryan Forbes in 1964, starring Kim Stanley (who scored an Oscar nomination for her performance), Richard Attenborough, Nanette Newman, Mark Edan and Patrick Magee.
Alfredson’s project is an Element Pictures and Astral Projection production, produced by Robyn Solovo; Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe for Element Pictures, a Fremantle company, and Polly Strokes and Weisz for Astral Projection. The project is part of Astral Projection’s first-look and development deal with Fremantle.
Executive producers are Thorne, Macfadyen, Farhana Bhula and David Kimbangi for Film4. FilmNation Entertainment is handling international sales, with UTA Independent Film Group and CAA Media Finance handling the domestic rights.
Creatives include director of photography Marcell Rév (Euphoria), production designer Jacqueline Abrahams (The Lobster), costume designer Sarah Blenkinsop (All Of Us Strangers), hair and make-up designer Daniel Phillips (Victoria & Abdul) and casting director Jina Jay (The Night Manager).
