First Look At Judi Dench And Sophie Cookson In Red Joan

Judi Dench in Red Joan

by James White |
Published on

Given that it's inspired by the true story of a woman accused of being the longest-serving KGB operative on British soil, it feels appropriate that Red Joan would have flown largely under the radar. With filming wrapped, the first images have arrived, showing Judi Dench as the older Joan (above) and Sophie Cookson as her younger incarnation (lowe down the page).

Trevor Nunn directed the drama, which follows the two eras of Joan Stanley's life. In the year 2000, she's living in contented retirement in suburbia when her tranquil life is interrupted by MI5, which accuses her of sending intelligence to Russia. We also flash back to 1938, where the younger Joan is a physics student at Cambridge who falls for a young communist named Leo Galich (Tom Hughes) and starts to see the world in a new light. And then, while working at a top-secret nuclear research facility during World War II, she realises the world is on the brink of mutually assured destruction, and has to choose between betraying her country and loved ones or saving them.

Sophie Cookson in Red Joan

Stephen Campbell Moore, Ben Miles and Tereza Srbova are also in the cast for the film, which doesn't yet have a confirmed release date.

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