Andrew Scott and Olivia Colman will open this year’s BFI London Film Festival with the European premiere of their film Elsinore.
The opening night gala for the British capital’s starriest festival will take place on Oct. 7, with cast members Scott, Colman, Billie Piper, Johnny Flynn, Luke Thompson, Peter Mullan and Joe Locke all expected to attend. They’ll be joined by Monica Dolan, Juliet Stevenson, Adeel Akhtar, Matthew Beard, David Dawson, Kadiff Kirwan, and Dickie Beau, who also star in Elsinore, from The Dig director Simon Stone.
The feature, written by BAFTA winner Stephen Beresford (Pride), is based on the life of Ian Charleson. It follows the actor’s final weeks before his death from AIDS, playing Hamlet at London’s National Theatre in the 1990s. Daniel Day-Lewis had abruptly pulled out mid-performance, forcing Charleson to step in and save the day. Bridgerton star Thompson described the film to THR as “a real love letter to theater.” He said earlier this year: “Every time I tell the story, I get shivers.” The London Film Festival screening is made especially poignant for audiences with the Royal Festival Hall just a stone’s throw from the National Theatre.
THR broke the news of Scott and Colman’s Fleabag reunion on Elsinore earlier this year. The Irish actor is also a producer on the film, alongside Andrea Occhipinti of Lucky Red with Gabrielle Tana of Magnolia Mae Films, Pete Shilaimon and Mickey Liddell of LD Entertainment, and Stefano Massenzi and Carolyn Marks Blackwood.
Stone said the team “couldn’t be prouder to present this quintessentially London film on the opening night of the BFI London Film Festival.”
He continued about Charleson: “Ian Charleson had many of his greatest triumphs on the stages of the West End, at the Young Vic and of course the National, where he ended his short but dazzling career playing an unforgettable Hamlet. We are so lucky to have Andrew Scott, a London Hamlet himself, breathing delicate inspiring life into this beautiful story. I can’t wait to share it with the hometown audience.”
Kristy Matheson, BFI London Film Festival artistic director, added: “Anchored by Andrew Scott’s astounding central performance, few films will leave a lasting imprint on audiences this year quite like Elsinore. Stephen Beresford’s script offers a richly drawn world from which director Simon Stone and his exceptional ensemble of some of the U.K.’s greatest talents vividly bring the story of renowned actor Ian Charleson to the screen.”
StudioCanal releases Elsinore in U.K. cinemas on Jan. 29 2027. Focus Features has acquired Elsinore for the U.S. to release in select theaters on Nov. 20 2026.
The 2026 BFI London Film Festival runs from Oct. 7-18.
