Rachel Weisz, Emma Stone and Olivia Colman In Talks For Yorgos Lanthimos’ ‘The Favourite’

Update: The Lobster star Rachel Weisz is replacing Kate Winslet in the film, Deadline reports. See the original story below.

Whether you’ve caught it on the festival circuit since its Cannes debut or you’ll see it when it gets released next spring, there will likely not be another film like The Lobster (our review and the trailer) for many years to come. From the mind of Dogtooth director Yorgos Lanthimos, it looks like his English-language debut has attracted the attention of others in Hollywood as he’s lining up quite a cast for his follow-up.

Kate Winslet, Emma Stone and The Lobster star Olivia Colman are all in talks to join his new project The Favourite, according to Deadline. The long-gestating film, scripted by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara, follows the “political machinations behind the scenes during the reign of Queen Anne, the last monarch of the House of Stuarts.” Check out a longer synopsis below:

The story takes place between the end of the 17th century and first years of the 18th century, when Anne reigned from 1702-1707. Colman, who has quietly emerged as one of the UK’s most sought-after actresses after a series of powerful turns in the likes of Broadchurch and Tyrannosaur, will play Queen Anne. Winslet’s character would be Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, the Queen’s close confidante, while Emma Stone is lining up to play Abigail Masham, an impoverished, distant relative of Sarah, who gains a position at court tending to the Queen. The story follows the shifting balance of power between the lead characters as they jockey for influence.

While it certainly doesn’t seem to have a strange concept like his other work, the idea of him trying his hand at a period piece sounds wonderful. With Scarlet Films and Element Pictures returning to produce, they are currently in talks for financing, so hopefully this one gets off the ground soon. In the meantime, if you’re at New York Film Festival, we highly recommend catching The Lobster, which you can see a new international trailer and posters for below.

What do you think of the initial cast?