Sam Heughan to Star in Period Rom-Com 'Mr. Malcolm's List'
Outlander star Sam Heughan has joined Crazy Rich Asians' Constance Wu and an all-star cast for the upcoming period romantic comedy Mr. Malcolm's List.
The Jane Austen-inspired comedy of manners centers on Mr. Jeremy Malcom, one of nineteenth-century London's most eligible bachelors. He is, as many before him were, in want of a wife. But he's also incredibly particularly about the qualities the future Mrs. Malcolm most possess. (This would be, as you've probably guessed, the titular list.) And when he jilts society lady Julia for not ticking enough of his predetermined boxes, there are unforeseen consequences.
Julia taps her friend Selina to help her get back at Mr. Malcom. But her plan has a lot of problems, not the least of which being Selina's genuine feelings for the wealthy bachelor and desire to prove he's more than his superficial obsession with his list. And there's also Henry (Heughan), a man who keeps getting in the way of Julia's revenge attempts.
(Who wants to bet all four of them are married off in the end?)
The film will be written by Suzanne Allain and be based on her novel of the same name, which will hit bookshelves everywhere this summer. It will also serve as an extension of the story Allaine originally produced in a short film released in 2019 on YouTube, which garnered over a million views.
The short film stars Gangs of London's Sope Dirisu as Mr. Malcom, and the actor will be returning to reprise the role for the feature adaptation. (As will his co-stars Frieda Pinto and Oliver Jackson-Cohen.)
Part of what's so exciting about this film is not just the rom-com aspect, which I think we can all get behind, but also its incredibly diverse cast. Because let's be real, as familiar as we are with the concept of an Austenesque comedy of manners, we're most definitely not used to them featuring actors of colors in multiple roles. It's exciting, and something that's long overdue, in my opinion. (We talked about why a bit on our podcast, for those of you who are interested in a broader take on this topic.)
Are you looking forward to Mr. Malcolm's List? Let's discuss in the comments.
