Florence Pugh can be seen wrapped in a shawl in a cemetery in a first look image from her new film The Wonder.
The Black Widow actress will star as Lib Wright in the adaptation of Emma Donoghue’s novel, the first film from Netflix’s new UK features slate.
Filming on the movie is under way in Ireland and it has been announced that Mank actor Tom Burke and Calm With Horses star Niamh Algar have joined the cast alongside Elaine Cassidy and her daughter Kila Lord Cassidy.
It has already been announced that Pugh will star opposite Toby Jones, Ciaran Hinds, Dermot Crowley, Brian F O’Byrne and David Wilmot.
Set in the Irish midlands in 1862, the psychological thriller is inspired by the 19th century phenomenon of the “fasting girls”.
Pugh plays an English nurse who is brought to a tiny village to observe 11-year-old Anna O’Donnell, a young girl who stops eating but remains miraculously alive and well.
Tourists and pilgrims mass to witness the girl, who is said to have survived without food for months, as the film explores if the village is harbouring a saint “surviving on manna from heaven” or if there are more ominous motives at work.
The movie is directed by Chilean filmmaker Sebastian Lelio, who won an Oscar for his 2017 feature A Fantastic Woman and previously directed Disobedience, starring Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams, and Gloria Bell, starring Julianne Moore.
Lelio said: “Bringing the powerful novel The Wonder by Emma Donoghue to the screen not only offers me the chance to portray the collision between reason and faith, individual and community, obedience and rebellion, but also to explore my own interpretation of what a ‘period’ film can be.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled that the magnetic and courageous Florence Pugh will play our fierce female lead.
“I am also excited to be reunited with Ed Guiney and Element, to have the privilege to work with Tessa Ross and House, and honoured that Netflix have chosen The Wonder as their first UK features endeavour.”
Fiona Lamptey, director of UK features at Netflix, said: “The Wonder has everything we’re looking for at Netflix for our UK and Ireland film slate – a rich, authentic story that comes from these shores along with creative excellence across source material, script, director and actors.
“I’m incredibly excited to work with such outstanding talent on a unique female lead story.
“Creating opportunities for UK and Irish talent like Florence in ambitious, distinctive stories of scale – embedded in our landscape – is a key commitment for the film slate we are building here.”
The Wonder will release on Netflix in 2022.