The period drama The Offing, starring Helena Bonham Carter, has finished its first round of presales at Beta Cinema. In order to protect all rights in what Curzon, Sineart, and Madman define as a competitive position for Britain/Ireland, the Benelux, and Australia/New Zealand. In all markets, the distributors will cooperate on a coordinated campaign. At EFM in February, beta officially debuted the offering. Later this year is set aside for the filming.
Jessica Hobbs (Crown), an Emmy winner, is the project’s director, and Bonham Carter is one of its executive producers. It is set in the UK. Amy Roberts (The Winter King, Summon the Midwife) wrote the script.
The story takes place in the northeastern region of England just after World War II and is based on Benjamin Myers’s bestselling book of the same name. The story begins with Robert, a quiet, nature-loving 16-year-old miner’s son who sets out to experience more of the world before his father descends down the pit. He approaches Dulcie Piper (Bonham Carter), a bohemian recluse who is several times older than he is and a heavy drinker with filthy language. While Dalkey sees in Robert a potential that he has yet to discover in himself, Robert’s life is opened to the transformational beauty of food, girls, and poetry under her quirky instruction. Although Dulcie’s cottage and garden by the sea are picture-perfect, the location hides a sad story about Dulcie’s first love. When Robert finds out the truth, Dulcie is compelled to share her heart and reengage with the outside world by his daring and tender companionship.
The book was released by Bloomsbury in August 2020 and made the shortlists for the iBook of the Year, Reading Agency Book of the Year, BBC Radio 2 Book Club Pick, Times Book of the Year, and BBC Radio 2 Book Club Pick.
Now, Hobbs and Stephen Frears are co-directing the HBO limited series Palace. Prior to Crown, Hobbs collaborated with Oscar nominee Bonham Carter on the drama series Warning, for which he received an Emmy nomination in 2020 and won it for Best Directing for a Drama Series Warning.
Charlotte Walls and Emily Bartelot of Global Media are the producers of the film Catalyst, which they developed with help from Beta Cinema.
Thorsten Ritter and Tassilo Hallbauer of BET Cinema, as well as Louisa Dent, Mark Schmitt, and Paul Wiegaard on behalf of Curzon, Cineart, and Madman, brokered the agreement.
Conway Van Gelder Grant is Bonham Carter’s agent. Caserotto Ramsay & Associates and CAA both represent Hobbs.