BASED ON AN ORIGINAL STORY BY STEVEN SODERBERGH, WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY BRIAN WELSH, AND PRODUCED BY HERA PICTURES AND JOHN GORE STUDIOS.
Images Feature: Nicholas Galitzine as Stanley, Ella Purnell as Pamela and Damian Lewis as Barnaby
Damian Lewis (Band of Brothers, Homeland) joins previously announced Ella Purnell (Fallout, Sweetpea, Yellowjackets) and Nicholas Galitzine (The Idea of You, Mary & George) in The Return of Stanley Atwell, a seductive new thriller from BAFTA- and Golden Globe-winning, Academy Award®-nominated producer of Hamnet Hera Pictures and co-produced with John Gore Studios.
Also joining the cast are Jess Alexander, (The Beauty, Amadeus) Adrian Rawlins, (Rose of Nevada, Slow Horses) Will Keen (His Dark Materials, The Crown).
Written and directed by Brian Welsh (Beats, Black Mirror), The Return of Stanley Atwell is based on an original story by Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Steven Soderbergh, who also serves as executive producer. The film marks Welsh’s second collaboration with Soderbergh following their debut Beats, and his second collaboration with Liza Marshall and Hera Pictures after the BAFTA nominated BBC drama What It Feels Like for a Girl.
Stanley Atwell (Galitzine), the presumed dead son and heir to Lord Atwell’s title and fortune, unexpectedly returns to the family estate having escaped a decade of mysterious captivity. Atwell’s shocking reappearance causes chaos as he finds his sister Beatrice fighting to claim his inheritance, whilst close friend Pamela (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?
Brian Welsh, Writer and Director said, “It’s been such a joy to have Damian Lewis on The Return of Stanley Atwell as Barnaby Towan. He brings humour, depth and some big surprises to the role. Damian’s a real dream addition to this ensemble and we’re honoured he wanted to come play.’
Liza Marshall, Producer and Founder of Hera Pictures said, “Damian has an exceptional ability to balance sharp intelligence with emotional complexity – the perfect combination for the role of Barnaby, a character that is intriguingly complex, charming and sharp-edged.We’re also thrilled to welcome the brilliant Jess, Adrian and Will to the cast – each bringing such depth and nuance to their characters and making the world of the Atwells vivid, compelling and seductive.”
John Gore, Producer and Founder of John Gore Studios said, “Damian Lewis is an actor of immense range and gravitas; we feel incredibly privileged to have him. He brings a striking level of sophistication, tension, and emotional complexity to the character. With Adrian Rawlins, Jess Alexander, and Will Keen rounding out this exceptional cast, the film is set to offer audiences a seductive, cinematic experience rich in atmosphere and psychological depth.”
The film is produced by Liza Marshall for Hera Pictures and John Gore for John Gore Studios.
Academy Award® winning filmmaker Steven Soderbergh serves as Executive Producer with Hilary Strong and Francis Hopkinson executive producing for John Gore Studios, alongside Dave Bishop and George Hamilton for Protagonist Pictures. The film is produced by Hera Pictures, co-produced and equity financed by John Gore Studios (My Duchess, The Queen of Fashion).
Protagonist Pictures is handling international sales and WME Independent are co-repping US rights.
Filming is underway in the UK and Malta.
Damian Lewis is repped by Markham Froggatt & Irwin.
ABOUT HERA PICTURES
Hera Pictures is a fully independent film and television production company known for bold, authored, original storytelling. Founded by award-winning producer Liza Marshall in 2017, the company is guided by a strong authored sensibility and a singular creative vision. It has built a strong global reputation for backing distinctive writers and directors and placing trust in their creative vision, an approach that has consistently delivered both critical acclaim and commercial success. The company’s slate spans premium television drama and distinctive, authored feature filmmaking. Standout projects include BAFTA nominated What It Feels Like for a Girl and I Fought the Law, Mary & George, Temple, Honour, The End We Start From and Hamnet.
A major awards contender, Hamnet secured a record-breaking 11 BAFTA nominations – the most ever for a feature directed by a woman – winning Outstanding British Film and Leading Actress for Jessie Buckley. The film also received eight Academy Award® nominations, winning Leading Actress for Jessie Buckley. It earned a PGA Award nomination, a Screen Actors Guild (Sag) win for Leading Actress Jessie Buckley, a WGA nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, two Golden Globe Awards (including Best Picture and Best Actress), a Critics’ Choice Award win for Buckley, and numerous additional major awards-season nominations. It also won the People’s Choice Award at TIFF. Commercially, Hamnet is the highest-grossing title among the BAFTA Best Film nominees, surpassing One Battle After Another, Marty Supreme and Sinners, and has now reached $90 million at the global box office.
With production soon to complete on The Return of Stanley Atwell and further projects to be announced, the company continues to emerge as one of the most original and exciting fully independent production outfits working today.
Prior to Hera Pictures, Marshall produced Riviera, Bafta nominated The State, and previously established and ran Scott Free London for Ridley Scott, overseeing projects including Life in a Day and Taboo. Marshall also spent five years as Head of Drama at Channel 4, where she greenlit and executive produced acclaimed titles such as The Red Riding Trilogy, Boy A, The Devil’s Whore, Misfits, Top Boy and The Unloved. She began her producing career at the BBC where she was responsible for many award-winning dramas including The Long Firm, Eroica and The Sins.
ABOUT BRIAN WELSH
Brian Welsh earned widespread acclaim with his coming-of-age feature Beats, set against the backdrop of Scotland’s 1990s rave scene. The film picked up several British Independent Film Awards and established Welsh as one of the U.K.’s most exciting voices. His television work includes standout episodes of Black Mirror and Glasgow Girls, which won multiple awards including a BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Original Programme. Welsh most recently directed the highly acclaimed What It Feels Like For a Girl, produced by Hera Pictures for the BBC, and headlined at SXSW London Festival 2025. Welsh is repped by Independent Talent Group.
ABOUT STEVEN SODERBERGH
Steven Soderbergh is a writer, director, producer, cinematographer, and editor. His most recent directorial work includes two features in 2025: the horror film Presence (NEON), and the spy drama Black Bag (Focus Features). His 39th feature, The Christophers, will be out from NEON this April. Accolades for his work include the 2000 Academy Award for directing Traffic, the same year he was nominated for Erin Brockovich; and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for his 2013 HBO film Behind the Candelabra. Soderbergh earlier received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay for sex, lies, and videotape, his feature film directorial debut. That film also won the Palme d’Or at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival.
He has meanwhile produced or executive-produced a wide range of projects for both film and television, notably including the 93rd Oscars ceremony and his own series Full Circle (Max) and The Knick (Cinemax). Since 1993, when he executive produced David Siegel and Scott McGehee’s Suture, he has produced or executive produced early-career projects for such acclaimed filmmakers as Greg Mottola (The Daytrippers, 1996), Gary Ross (Pleasantville, 1998), Anthony and Joseph Russo (Welcome to Collinwood, 2002), Christopher Nolan (Insomnia, 2002), George Clooney (Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, 2002; and Good Night, and Good Luck, 2005), and Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton, 2007), among many others. He previously worked with Brian Welsh when he executive produced his 2019 film Beats.
ABOUT JOHN GORE STUDIOS
John Gore Studios is a global entertainment powerhouse, headquartered in London with offices in New York. Founded by award-winning producer John Gore, winner of 25 Tony Awards®, two Emmys®, two Olivier Awards, and a Variety500 honouree, the company builds on the proven success of the John Gore Organization, the leading force in Broadway and live theatre media.
Led by CEO Hilary Strong, JGS is redefining film and television through a dual focus on heritage and innovation. From acquiring, restoring and reintroducing iconic film libraries to developing bold, contemporary stories, the studio delivers content with global reach and lasting cultural impact.
The studio’s film slate already features major new projects including: My Duchess (dir. Mike Newell, starring Joan Collins and Isabella Rossellini), Ithaqua (Hammer Films, dir. Casey Walker, starring Luke Hemsworth), The Queen of Fashion (written & directed by Alex Marx, starring Andrea Riseborough), Frank and Percy (dir. Sean Mathias, starring Ian McKellen and Roger Allam), Onward and Sideways (dir. John Madden, starring Rhys Ifans and Laura Linney) and upcoming The Return of Stanley Atwell (starring Nicholas Galitzine and Ella Purnell).
The fully integrated studio brings together specialist labels that span the entertainment landscape: Hilltop Screen and Deep Fusion for original film and TV production, Hammer Films for iconic horror, Tyburn Films for its catalogue of gothic horror and psychological thrillers, Silver Salt Restoration for world-class film restoration, and KFilm Ltd (Icon Film Distribution, Kaleidoscope Film Distribution, Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment) for sales and distribution. Together, these labels create a unique end-to-end offering – from development and production through to restoration, marketing, sales and distribution.
ABOUT PROTAGONIST PICTURES
Led by Dave Bishop alongside George Hamilton and James Pugh, Protagonist Pictures is a UK-based sales, finance, and production company with a strong track record of both critical acclaim and commercial success.
Protagonist handled international sales on Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist, which premiered in Venice to rave reviews. The film went on to win three Academy Awards, three Golden Globes, and three BAFTAs.
The company also handled sales and executive produced Nora Fingscheidt’s The Outrun, starring four-time Academy Award nominee Saoirse Ronan, which premiered at Sundance and Berlin to widespread acclaim and garnered two BAFTA nominations. Additional recent titles include H Is for Hawk, which Protagonist represented and executive produced. Produced by Plan B and starring Claire Foy and Brendan Gleeson, the film was nominated for Outstanding British Film at the 2026 BAFTA Awards.
Protagonist’s first in-house production, The Man in My Basement, directed by Nadia Latif and starring Corey Hawkins and Willem Dafoe, was longlisted for the 2026 BAFTA Awards and is now available worldwide on Disney+. Protagonist maintains an ongoing partnership with Temple Hill, with The Rule of Three marking their fourth collaboration following Clown in a Cornfield. The companies have also partnered on the horror feature Monitor, as well as Simon Curtis’ Encore.
The company’s current slate includes Babak Anvari’s pressure cooker thriller Last Flight, starring Benedict Cumberbatch; Simon Woods hilarious comedy The Worst, starring Keira Knightley, Alicia Vikander, Jamie Dornan and Erin Kellyman; Claudio Borelli’s jungle set thriller The Last of the Tribe, starring Ethan Hawke and Orlando Bloom; The Return of Stanley Atwell, adapted from a short story by Steven Soderbergh, starring Nicholas Galitzine and Ella Purnell, and produced by Hera Pictures, the team behind Hamnet and co-produced by John Gore Studios; the psychological horror The Night House, adapted from Jo Nesbø’s bestselling novel and directed by Jesper Ganslandt, starring Jacob Tremblay and Aaron Paul.
Protagonist Pictures just had a strong SXSW run with 6 title premiering in Austin. The company is handling international sales on a slew of titles including Wishful Thinking, a comedy starring Lewis Pullman and Maya Hawke; Love Language, directed by Joey Power and starring Chloë Grace Moretz, Anthony Ramos and Manny Jacinto; Monitor, directed by Matt Black and Ryan Polly and starring Brittany O’Grady; and Seekers of Infinite Love, directed by Victoria Strouse and starring Hannah Einbinder, Justin Theroux, Griffin Gluck, John Paul Reynolds and Justine Lupe. Protagonist is also representing worldwide rights to The Fox, directed by Dario Russo and starring Jai Courtney and Emily Browning, featuring voice performances by Olivia Colman and Sam Neill.
