Amazon Prime Video has released the official trailer for the upcoming biographical drama film titled The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, centered around the titular English artist known for his fondness of making cats and kittens as his main subjects for most of his drawings. The video, which you can check out below, highlights the beginning of his art career, and his romance with his sisters’ governess as well as his struggles with mental health.
Starring Emmy winners Benedict Cumberbatch and Claire Foy, the film had its world premiere at the 2021 Telluride Film Festival. It is scheduled to arrive in select US theaters on October 22, followed by its Prime Video debut on November 5.
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The Electrical Life of Louis Wain is directed by Will Sharpe from a screenplay he co-wrote with Simon Stephenson. The film reunites lead stars Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) and Claire Foy (The Crown), who previously worked together on the 2011 drama Wreckers.
“The extraordinary true story of eccentric British artist Louis Wain, whose playful, sometimes even psychedelic pictures helped to transform the public’s perception of cats forever,” reads the official synopsis. “Moving from the late 1800s through to the 1930s, we follow the incredible adventures of this inspiring, unsung hero, as he seeks to unlock the “electrical” mysteries of the world and, in so doing, to better understand his own life and the profound love he shared with his wife Emily Richardson.”
Joining them are Andrea Riseborough, Toby Jones, Hayley Squires, Stacy Martin, Aimee Lou Wood, Jamie Demetriou, Adeel Akhtar, Sophia Di Martino, Olivier Richters, Nick Cave, Sharon Rooney, Julian Barratt, Indica Watson, and Richard Ayoade. It will also feature Oscar winners Taika Waitit and Olivia Colman, with the latter set as the narrator.
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The Electrical Life of Louis Wain is being produced by Guy Heeley, Adam Ackland, Ed Clarke and Leah Clarke. Amazon Studios and StudioCanal are producing the film in partnership with Cumberbatch’s SunnyMarch, Shoebox and Film4. Studiocanal is releasing the film in their territories UK, France Germany, Australia/NZ and is selling international, while Amazon is handling the U.S. theatrical distribution.
