Andrew Scott, Olivia Colman to Star in ‘Elsinore,’ About ‘Chariots of Fire’ Star Ian Charleson

Andrew Scott (All of Us Strangers, Ripley, Pressure) and Olivia Colman (The Favourite, The Crown, The Lost Daughter) will star in Elsinore, a film based on the life of Ian Charleson, the Scottish star of the 1981 movie Chariots of Fire, whose final role was Hamlet in a celebrated London theater production. The movie comes from Canal+’s StudioCanal, LD Entertainment, Lucky Red, and Magnolia Mae Films.

Anna Marsh, CEO of StudioCanal, home of such film franchises as Paddington and such one-off hits as I Swear, and chief content officer and deputy CEO of Canal+ Group, shared the news that the studio has come on board to fully finance and distribute the film during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter ahead of her appearance during a Tuesday evening Canal+ 2026 content lineup event in Paris.

Simon Stone (The Dig) is directing the film, produced by Andrea Occhipinti (Il Divo, Everybody Knows) of Lucky Red and Gaby Tana (Philomena, The Dig) of Magnolia Mae, along with Pete Shilaimon and Mickey Liddell of LD Entertainment, Stefano Massenzi and Carolyn Marks Blackwood. Scott is also serving as a producer.

The film is written by Stephen Beresford (Pride), who is also executive producing the project, along with Ethan Silverman, who originated it. Mike Eley (The Dig) will serve as cinematographer, Helen Scott (Living) as production designer, Mel Page (The Dig) as costume designer, with Valerio Bonelli (Darkest Hour) as editor, and Jessica Ronane (Emma) handling casting.

Elsinore will start shooting in the U.K. on Jan. 5. It will also feature an ensemble of British actors to be announced closer to the start of production.

A synopsis describes the movie as a “powerful, deeply moving and inspiring true story of the actor Ian Charleson who faced incredible odds while preparing to give the performance of his life in Hamlet at the National Theatre in London.”

Scott will portray Charleson, while Colman will play his doctor. Charleson is best known for his starring role as Olympic athlete and missionary Eric Liddell in Chariots of Fire, which won four Oscars, including the best film honor. He also portrayed Rev. Charlie Andrews in the 1982 eight-time Oscar winner Gandhi.

Charleson was diagnosed with HIV in 1986 and died of AIDS-related causes in January 1990 at the age of 40. In October and November 1989, he performed Hamlet at the National Theatre. When Ian McKellen was honored with the Evening Standard Award for Best Actor for playing Iago in Othello, the actor lauded Charleson as the “perfect Hamlet.”

“Elsinore” refers to Kronborg Castle in Helsingør, Denmark, the setting for Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet. It is therefore also often called “Hamlet’s Castle.”

Elsinore reunites StudioCanal with Scott following the production of Anthony Maras’ Pressure, set to be released in 2026, this year. The film, produced and developed with Working Title, sees Scott star as Royal Air Force meteorologist James Stagg, who must deliver a weather report to the Allied high command, determining the feasibility of the planned D-Day. Colman most recently starred in and produced StudioCanal’s Wicked Little Letters and also starred in Paddington in Peru for the studio.

“This is one of the most exciting projects I’ve ever been involved in,” said Stone. “Stephen Beresford’s screenplay is both heartbreaking and hilarious, a beautiful ode to the power of community in times of crisis. Andrew Scott is one of the greatest actors of his generation, as Ian Charleson was: it’s momentous casting.”

Marsh told THR about Elsinore that it looks at Charleson, who falls ill, but in the months leading up to his death, is given the opportunity to play “the role of his life” when he is offered the part of Hamlet at the National Theatre in London. “It is a film about ambition, art, and the quest for excellence, both on the stage and off. Andrew Scott will incarnate Charleson. I couldn’t think of a better fit. And the wonderful Olivia Colman will play his doctor.”