‘Cavendish’ Goes on a Witch Hunt With Sophie Thatcher and Erin Kellyman

Cornerstone has announced an impressive cast for Cavendish, an “irreverent and original” thriller set against the witch hunts of 17th-century Britain.

Sophie Thatcher (Heretic, Companion), Erin Kellyman (28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, Eleanor the Great), and Joe Alwyn (The Brutalist, Hamnet) are set to star in the film from writer-director Christopher Andrews (Bring Them Down), writes Variety.

Set in 1645, the story follows a privileged young bride (Thatcher) accused of witchcraft on her wedding day and pursued by a ruthless witch hunter (Alwyn). Forced into an uneasy alliance with a sharp-witted poacher living on the margins of society (Kellyman), the two women fight back, “turning their powerlessness into strength through violence, wit and defiance.”

Cavendish is billed as “blending visceral action with sharp, unexpected humor,” adds the site.

Cavendish is produced by BAFTA award winners Ivana MacKinnon and Emily Leo (How to Have Sex, Bring Them Down, Beast) for Wild Swim Films, alongside Rosa Attab and Jacqueline De Croy (You Were Never Really Here, I, Daniel Blake) for January Films, and Klaudia Smieja-Rostworowska and Bogna Szewczyk-Skupien (The Brutalist, The Testament of Ann Lee) for Madants. The film was developed in collaboration with BBC Film and also received funding from the Polish Film Institute cash rebate program. Production is set to begin in Poland in September 2026.

“It’s rare to find a British action thriller in this period that feels this fresh, entertaining and original,” said Alison Thompson and Mark Gooder of Cornerstone. “Cavendish is a real page-turner, with a wicked sense of humour and a bold subversion of traditional female roles. Christopher Andrews is going to create something fresh and exciting, and we can’t wait to share his vision with buyers.”