“Sometimes a lady likes to have some fun,” declares Rachel Weisz in the first official teaser trailer for The Favourite. The period piece comes from director Yorgos Lanthimos, writer and director of 2015’s The Lobster and 2017’s The Killing of a Sacred Deer, and first time feature film writer Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara (Doctor Doctor).
In addition to Oscar winner Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener), the cast of The Favourite includes Olivia Colman (Murder on the Orient Express), Oscar winner Emma Stone (La La Land), Nicholas Hoult (Mad Max: Fury Road, X-Men: Days of Future Past), Joe Alwyn (Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk), James Smith (The Thick of It), and Mark Gatiss (Doctor Who, The League of Gentlemen). Ceci Dempsey, Ed Guiney, Lee Magiday, and director Yorgos Lanthimos served as producers.
Yorgos Lanthimos’ behind the scenes team includes director of photography Robbie Ryan, editor Sam Sneade, costume designer Sandy Powell, and production designer Fiona Crombie.
Fox Searchlight has set a November 23, 2018 release date in select U.S. theaters.
The Plot: Early 18th century. England is at war with the French. Nevertheless, duck racing and pineapple eating are thriving. A frail Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) occupies the throne and her close friend Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz) governs the country in her stead while tending to Anne’s ill health and mercurial temper. When a new servant Abigail (Emma Stone) arrives, her charm endears her to Sarah.
Sarah takes Abigail under her wing and Abigail sees a chance at a return to her aristocratic roots. As the politics of war become quite time consuming for Sarah, Abigail steps into the breach to fill in as the Queen’s companion. Their burgeoning friendship gives her a chance to fulfill her ambitions and she will not let woman, man, politics or rabbit stand in her way.
