Fallout star and the new He-Man team up for period thriller The Return of Stanley Atwell

a production image from The Return of Stanley Atwell showing Ella Purnell (L) and Nicholas Galitzine (R) — (Image credit: Hera Pictures)

It’s hard to picture someone better for the role of Lucy in Fallout than Ella Purnell, and the first looks at Nicholas Galitzine as the Masters of the Universe superhero He-Man have proved that he’s not just made for romcoms. Now the pair are teaming up in a new thriller, The Return of Stanley Atwell, swapping sci-fi for high society.

The first-look images from the film have been released showing the pair as a primped and proper aristocratic duo who seem to have nailed the Gen Z stare 100 years before it was popularised.

Written and directed by Brian Welsh, The Return of Stanley Atwell is based on an original script by the Oscar winning Steven Soderbergh who is also serving as an executive producer.

According to the synopsis, the story follows the titular Stanley Atwell, played by Galitzine, the presumed dead son and heir to Lord Atwell’s title and fortune, after he unexpectedly return to the family estate having escaped a decade of mysterious captivity. Atwell’s surprise reappearance leads to chaos as he find his sister Beatrice fighting to claim his inheritance, whilst close friend Pamela (played by Purnell) manipulates his puzzling return and a dark family secret in a bid to seize control of the Atwell fortune.

Sex, passion, backstabbing and betrayal wreak havoc across the estate as the lies and deception the Atwell name has been built upon start to unravel. How far is each family member willing to go to protect their own wealth and status… and what is really behind the return of Stanley Atwell?

a production image of Damien Lewis in The Return of Stanley Atwell

Alongside Galitzine and Purnell, the film has added Damian Lewis to the cast who has been dressed in equally dapper style, wearing a tuxedo and throwing some seriously brooding looks from across a bar. Jess Alexander, Adrian Rawlins, and Will Keen have also been confirmed to star, although the exact roles have yet to be announced.

The film marks Welsh’s second collaboration with Soderbergh following their debut Beats – the black and white 2019 drama, which was an adaption of a play of the same name by Kieran Hurley. It’s his second collaboration with Hera Pictures, the BAFTA and Oscar nominated production company, following their BAFTA nominated BBC drama What It Feels Like for a Girl.

Given these images are the first teasers we've had for the film, it's unlikely we'll be getting a release date any time soon, but there will be plenty of chances to see Galitzine on the big screen this summer, with the live-action Masters of the Universe reboot set for a 5th June 2026 release.

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Hermione Blandford is the Content Editor for Shortlist’s social media which means you can usually find her scrolling through Instagram and calling it work, or stopping random people in the street and accosting them with a mini mic. She has previously worked in food and drink PR for brands including Johnnie Walker, Tanqueray, Gordon's, The Singleton, Lagavulin and Don Julio which means she is a self confessed expert in spicy margaritas and pints, regularly popping into the pub in the name of research.