Romance and revenge are at the center of director Emma Holly Jones’ feature film debut, the Regency-era romantic comedy Mr. Malcolm’s List.
Adapted from the book of the same name by author and scriptwriter Suzanne Allain, Mr. Malcolm’s List stars Zawe Ashton’s Julia Thistlewaite, who is jilted by London’s most desirable bachelor, Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù’s Mr. Malcolm on the grounds that she failed to meet one of the requirements on his list for a bride.
Humiliated, Julia seeks her revenge, calling upon friend Selina Dalton, played by Freida Pinto, to help her enact a plan that will surely make Mr. Malcolm the new talk of the town. With the help of her cousin, Oliver Jackson-Cohen’s Lord Cassidy, Julia prepares Selina to play the role of a season, turning her into the ideal suitor for the man who rejected her courtship.
But as Mr. Malcolm and Selina grow closer, both they and those puppeteering the scheme begin to wonder whether this is still a well-executed hoax or something much more real.
The movie also stars Theo James as Captain Henry Ossory and Ashley Park as Gertie Covington.
Laura Rister, Laura Lewis, Katie Holly and Jones serve as producers, with casting by Tamara-Lee Notcutt, music by Amelia Warner, costume design courtesy of Pam Downe and production design by Ray Ball. Kate Hickey serves as editor for Mr. Malcolm’s List, with Tony Miller BSC the film’s director of photography.
Distributed by Bleecker Street, Mr. Malcolm’s List arrives in theaters on July 1.