Mike Leigh usually likes to keep his films under wraps until he's ready to start work on them, and his latest, Peterloo, which he's planning for a couple of years, is no exception. He might not employ Marvel or Lucasfilm levels of secrecy, but he's certainly not spilling many details on the cast. The Hollywood Reporter, however, has learned that Maxine Peake will be one of the leads.
Nothing has been announced about who Peake will be playing in the film, or who she'll be starring alongside, but the Three Girls actress is on for the period drama chronicling an infamous and pivotal moment in British history. The Peterloo massacre saw the Army engaged to attack a large group of protestors in Manchester in 1819. Demanding political reform amid crippling economic depression, the protestors took to the streets and the resulting tragedy from the military reaction left 15 dead and more than 400 injured. The fallout was felt across the country, including spurring the creation of The Manchester Guardian, the paper that became today's Guardian.
Amazon Studios is backing the film, and Leigh has already started rolling the cameras, planning to shoot until later this summer. Peake also has comedy drama Funny Cow and historical thriller Fanny Lye Deliver'd on the way.