Searchlight Pictures has acquired writer-director Mona Fastvold‘s The Testament of Ann Lee, starring Amanda Seyfried, for North America and most of the world, we can reveal. The studio is lining up a theatrical release later this year.
In the musical drama, Seyfried (Les Misérables) stars as the titular Ann Lee, the founder of the Shakers, a radical religious movement that began in the late 1700s. The film was well-received after its Venice debut with many critics praising Oscar nominee Seyfried’s performance in particular. A tilt at a Best Actress Oscar seems plausible.
Also starring are Thomasin McKenzie (Jojo Rabbit), Lewis Pullman (Top Gun: Maverick), Tim Blake Nelson (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs), Christopher Abbott (Poor Things) and Stacy Martin (The Brutalist).
The film reunites multiple creatives behind Oscar winner The Brutalist, directed by Fastvold’s husband Brady Corbet. This time, Fastvold takes on directing duties and Corbet is producer and co-writer with Fastvold. Score comes from The Brutalist Oscar winner Daniel Blumberg.
Budget was reportedly in the $10 million-$11 million range and we understand deal landed in the mid- to high-seven figures.
Born in the northern English city of Manchester in 1736, Ann Lee was the charismatic leader of the religious movement that came to be known as the Shakers, for its ecstatic singing and dancing that involved shaking.
Persecuted in England for her loud form of worship and challenging the doctrines of the established church, she left for America in 1774 with a small band of followers, where she continued her mission to convert people to the Shaker movement.
Producers are Oscar nominee Andrew Morrison, Joshua Horsfield, Viktória Petrányi, Fastvold, Corbet, Gregory Jankilevitsch, Klaudia Śmieja-Rostworowska, Lillian LaSalle and Mark Lampert. CAA Media Finance brokered the deal with Searchlight execs Chan Phung, Paul Hoffman and Don Hardison.
The epic list of executive producers includes Megan Ellison, Patrick Chu, Christopher Renteria, Tom Ogden, Diana Chen, Brantley Gong, Jesse Ozeri, Vincent Peone, Kyle Stroud, Zach Verdin, Dave Guenette, Scott Aharoni, Alihan Yalcindag, Sinan Eczacibasi, Saskia Duff, David Kaplan, Oleg Nodelman, Marcin Czernik, Claude Amadeo, Randal Sandler, Michael D’Alto, Chris Triana, Adam Paulsen, Michael Fowler, Zelene Fowler, Heather Nodelman, Marc Iserlis and The Burger Family.
