Oscar-tipped biopic starring Andrew Scott will officially open London's 2026 BFI Film Festival
It follows the final months in the life of a highly acclaimed actor whilst he was battling AIDS.
If there was ever a signifier that a film was going to be a winner, the words “Andrew Scott” and “BFI Film Festival opener” are pretty good starts. Coincidentally, it’s also words associated with Elisnore, a new Ian Charleson biopic which is heading to London’s Southbank Centre for its European Premiere to open the city’s biggest film festival.
It’s sort of fitting that its premiere will be just moments away from the National Theatre where a lot of the film’s scenes are set. The film, which is already generating Oscar buzz, stars Andrew Scott in the leading role as the famous actor Ian Charlson.
It follows the final months in the life of the highly acclaimed actor whilst he was battling AIDS, and reprised his role of Hamlet in the West End just months before he died, aged 40. Charleson was also one of the first public figures who wanted his cause of death to be openly confirmed in public in a bid to help reduce stigma about the condition. This decision has been widely credited as a huge turning point in changing the public’s perception of AIDS at the time.
Simon Stone is directing and it has been written by Stephen Beresford – who last worked with Scott on the seminal 2014 film Pride.
Charleson rose to fame through roles in blockbusters like Gandhi, Chariots of Fire, and his numerous theatre roles. He originally stepped into the role of Hamlet in 1989 shortly before his death as a last minute sub after Daniel Day Lewis suddenly exited the role. He had played the role 15 years before, and persuaded director Eyre to let him reprise the role despite Eyre’s fears over his health. At the time of the performance, Charleson’s face was swollen owing to the illness – cast, crew, and audiences were told that this was because of a recent sinus operation, rather than septicaemia.
He performed the role for six consecutive weeks, with the run lauded as one of the best ever seen on stage. In a bit of wholesome theatre history, Sir Ian McKellen was awarded ‘best actor’ at that year's Evening Standard awards, but actually refused the accolade, and gave his statue to Charleson instead.
Elinsore has a pretty stacked cast joining Andrew Scott: Olivia Coleman will be playing Charleson’s doctor, joined by Billie Piper, Johnny Flynn and Monica Dolan. Dickie Beau, who toured a one-man tribute to Charleson’s Hamlet for six years, also features, while David Dawson plays Derek Jarman. Fellow theatre and film heavyweights Juliet Stevenson and Peter Mullan are rumoured to be playing Charleson’s parents.
The BFI Film Festival kicks off on 7th October with the festival running until 18th October. The full programme will be announced on 2nd September at BFI's website.
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