We already knew that Sam Clafin was reuiniting with his Riot Club director Lone Scherfig for Their Finest Hour And A Half. In the year since that announcement the cast has grown exponentially, with Gemma Arterton and Bill Nighy - pictured below in the first official image from the film - at the top of the bill. Richard E. Grant, Helen McRory, Eddie Marsan, Rachel Stirling and Henry Goodman are all also signed up for the WWII-era comedy. And the most recent additions to the ensemble are Jack Huston and Jake Lacey.
Based on the novel by Lissa Evans, the film tells the comical story of a disparate group of people brought together in Norfolk to make a British propaganda film. A forgotten actor from the silent movie age, an advertising copywriter from the Ministry of Information, a Madame Tussauds' costumier and a caterer-turned-military advisor are all pitched in to craft the unlikely narrative of two women in a rowing boat who head off on a rescue mission to Dunkirk. They initially dislike each other, of course, but rally round in the cause of wartime morale.
All the pleasing hallmarks of an Ealing comedy there (plus something of the vibe of Dad's Army,** **which also, in its new guise, stars Nighy). The press release describes it as "A witty, warm-hearted and moving portrayal of a young woman screenwriter finding her way in matters of life, death and the heart, combining the quick-fire repartee of a screwball battle of the sexes infused with the reality of filmmaking under threat of invasion and London in the Blitz."
Their Finest Hour And A Half comes courtesy of the BBC and Stephen Woolley (Carol, Made in Dagenham) and Amanda Posey (Brooklyn, An Education). The screenplay is by Gaby Chiappe (Lark Rise To Candleford), and shooting is underway now for a release next year.