Elsinore (film)
2026 film
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Elsinore is an upcoming biographical drama film about Scottish actor Ian Charleson (1949–1990). It is directed by Simon Stone and written by Stephen Beresford. Andrew Scott stars in the film, alongside Olivia Colman as Charleson's doctor.
- Andrea Occhipinti
- Gaby Tana
- Pete Shilaimon
- Mickey Liddell
- Stefano Massenzi
- Carolyn Marks Blackwood
- Andrew Scott
- Andrew Scott
- Olivia Colman
| Elsinore | |
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| Directed by | Simon Stone |
| Written by | Stephen Beresford |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Mike Eley |
| Edited by | Valerio Bonelli |
Production companies |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 104 minutes[1] |
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| Language | English |
Premise
Elsinore depicts the life of actor Ian Charleson, in particular his performances as Hamlet at the National Theatre in the final months of his life, and the odds he faced in preparing for and performing the role while seriously ill from AIDS.[2][3][4]
Cast
Production
In December 2025, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Simon Stone would direct a film about the final months of the life of Ian Charleson from a screenplay written by Stephen Beresford. Andrew Scott stars as Charleson with Olivia Colman as his doctor.[3][2] In January 2026, Billie Piper, Johnny Flynn, Luke Thompson, Monica Dolan, Juliet Stevenson, Joe Locke, Adeel Akhtar, Matthew Beard, David Dawson, Kadiff Kirwan, Dickie Beau, and Peter Mullan were announced as additional cast members.[5]
Principal photography began on 5 January 2026, in the United Kingdom,[6] and concluded in February 2026.[7]
Release
Elsinore was originally set to premiere sometime in 2027.[8]
Initial reports in December 2025 about the film's production stated that LD Entertainment, also a co-producer on the film, had pre-emptively acquired North American distribution rights to it.[3][2] By July 2026, following interest from every major fall festival, a competitive bidding war among distributors ensued and Focus Features acquired distribution rights to the film for North and Latin America, planning to give it a festival run before theatrically releasing it in the fall of 2026.[9][10] Later that month, Focus scheduled the film for a limited theatrical release in the United States on November 20, 2026, with expansions throughout November and December.[11]
The film will have its Canadian premiere in the Special Presentations section of the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival in September 2026, indicating that the film is likely to have its world premiere at a festival such as Telluride first.[12]
Elsinore will be theatrically released in Italy by Lucky Red on 24 December 2026.[13]