Director Joe Stephenson’s Doctor Jekyll, “a modern interpretation” of Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, wrapped production over a year ago, and while we continue to wait to hear when we’re going to have a chance to see the movie, Fangoria has unveiled a new image that shows gender fluid comedian/actor Eddie Izzard (The Lost Symbol) as Doctor Nina Jekyll. You can take a look at the image on the Fangoria website, or at the bottom of this article.
Stephenson developed Doctor Jekyll with first-time writer Dan Kelly-Mulhern during the UK lockdown. The story they crafted follows the reclusive Nina Jekyll finding friendship with her newly hired help, Rob. They must work together to prevent Hyde from destroying her life.
Rob is played by Scott Chambers, who worked with Stephenson on the film Chicken. Also in the cast are Tony Jayawardena (The Crown), Robyn Cara (Ackley Bridge), the appropriately named Jonathan Hyde (Titanic), and BAFTA nominees Lindsay Duncan (Birdman) and Simon Callow (Four Weddings and a Funeral).
The legendary British horror label Hammer Films has teamed up with the UK’s Network Distributing to form a new company called Hammer Studios Ltd., which will “invest substantially both in restoration and new production development from both its owned and newly created IP”. This new iteration of Hammer acquired the UK rights to Doctor Jekyll last year, with the company’s managing director Tim Beddows providing the following statement: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Joe and his superlative cast and crew on Doctor Jekyll. There can be few subjects more apt to launch Hammer Studios and the production has everything you’d expect of a modern Hammer film.”
Stephenson told Fangoria, “There’ve been over 100 cinematic adaptations of Stevenson’s novella, but there has never been a trans Dr. Jekyll. There seem to be some assumptions that because Nina is a trans character, we are somehow going to make it about gender. That is not the case; the themes of our film are true to the original work. I feel like certain demographics need help seeing past people’s gender identity. Nina Jekyll’s trans-ness isn’t everything she is, at all!” The director added that “the film’s tone is a (hopefully) surprising mix of dark humor and suspense that spirals into horror.“
Doctor Jekyll was produced by B Good Picture Company, in association with Fluidity Films. Stephenson produced with Guy de Beaujeu. Liam Coutts is associate producer, while Christian Angermayer serves as executive producer.
Are you interested in this take on Doctor Jekyll? Let us know by leaving a comment below. Here’s the image of Izzard as Doctor Nina Jekyll:
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