The trailer for HBO Films’ Brexit opens with Benedict Cumberbatch staring into the camera. He calmly announces, “Everyone knows who won. But not everyone knows how.” The two minute trailer declares we’re about to meet the man behind Brexit.
Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock, Doctor Strange, Patrick Melrose) stars as lead strategist and Campaign Director of “Vote Leave” Dominic Cummings and Rory Kinnear (The Imitation Game, Penny Dreadful) plays Craig Oliver, Prime Minister David Cameron’s Director of Communications. The cast also includes Lee Boardman, Jay Simpson, Oliver Maltman, and Mary Antony.
Olivier Award winner James Graham (Quiz, Ink, Coalition) wrote the screenplay and Toby Haynes (Black Mirror, Sherlock, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell) directed. Haynes won a Hugo Award in 2005 for Doctor Who and was nominated for a Directors Guild of Great Britain award for Coming Up.
Brexit was produced by Lynn Horsford and executive produced by James Graham, Juliette Howell, and Tessa Ross. The drama’s an HBO Films, BBC Studios, Channel 4 and House Productions presentation.
The behind the scenes team includes production designer Ed Turner, costume designer Matthew Price, and hair designer/makeup designer Angie Mudge.
HBO’s set a Saturday, January 19, 2019 premiere date.
The Plot:
“The result of the Brexit referendum in summer 2016 caused a political earthquake that laid waste to the normally stable British establishment and sent political tremors around the world. Cumberbatch portrays Dominic Cummings, who spearheaded the Vote Leave campaign. Rory Kinnear plays Craig Oliver, Prime Minister David Cameron’s director of communications and head of the Remain campaign.
This provocative feature-length drama goes behind the scenes, revealing the personalities, strategies and feuds of the Leave and Remain campaigns. The tactics employed by Vote Leave during the data-driven campaign swayed a historically silent voting bloc that would ultimately decide the outcome of the referendum, as well as affecting future elections around the world.”
