Jodie Comer to Lead All-Star Cast in 'The Last Disturbance Of Madeline Hynde'

Kenneth Branagh is probably best known as an actor, thanks to his performances in films ranging from the 1993 adaptation of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing to his 2023 take on Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot in A Haunting in Venice. But what you may not have realized is that Branagh is also an equally accomplished director, whose work critically acclaimed work behind the camera includes films like Hamlet, Thor, Cinderella, A Murder on the Orient Express, and the previously mentioned Much Ado. 

His last film, the 2021 coming-of-age drama Belfast, was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. (Branagh himself took home the statue for Best Original Screenplay.) And if its starry cast connected to his next directorial effort is any indication, it's likely to garner plenty of awards season buzz as well. 

Titled The Last Disturbance of Madeline Hynde, the film is being described as a contemporary psychological thriller, but its logline, description, and even the most generic details about its plot are currently being kept under wraps. But just because we have no idea what this movie is  about yet doesn't mean it's not worth getting excited over. 

The film will be written and directed by Branagh, who has tapped Emmy, BAFTA, and Tony Award-winning actress Jodie Comer (The End We Start From) to star, ostensibly as the titular Madeline. Comer won a Best Actress at the 2019 Emmys for her breakout role in BBC America drama Killing Eve, and has gone on to feature in films ranging from The Last Duel to The Bikeriders. 

But Comer is not the only buzzy Anglophile favorite attached to this project. Per Deadline, Branagh has officially rounded out the rest of his ensemble, and it's full of heavy hitters, including Patricia Arquette (High Desert), Michael Sheen (Good Omens), Tom Bateman (Funny Woman), Vicky McClure (Trigger Point), Michael Balogun (Top Boy), Kristina Tonteri-Young (Warrior Nun), Aiysha Hart (We Are Lady Parts), Gemma Whelan (DI Ray), and Karla Crome.

Granted, we have no idea who any of these people are playing or how big their roles are, but it's difficult to look at this lineup and not immediately assume this is the sort of prestige movie we're all going to be lining up to see. 

Branagh most recently played scientist Niels Bohr in the Best PIcture-winning film Oppenheimer and is slated to star in King Lear at New York's Shed this October, co-directing with Rob Ashford & Lucy Skilbeck. 

The Last Disturbance of Madeline Hynde marks a mini-reunion for Branagh with his Belfast producers Tamar Thomas, Laura Berwick, and Becca Kovacik. They're joined by Matthew Jenkins and Maximum Effort’s Ashley Fox and Johnny Pariseau.

Production on the independently financed film is currently underway in the U.K.