As if it wasn’t exciting enough that Anne Hathaway will be taking the lead in pop drama Mother Mary – alongside Michaela Coel – we can now add yet another film to the list, Eileen. Based on Ottessa Moshfegh’s 2015 debut novel of the same name, this period psychological thriller sees Hathaway and Jojo Rabbit’s Thomasin McKenzie play two women involved in an interesting friendship, to say the least…

Eileen looks to explore female friendship, pleasure and power dynamics, with a dash of glamour and a whole bunch of secrets. And so, here’s everything we know so far about Eileen, including when we can expect it to hit cinemas.

What is the plot of Eileen?

Based on the book of the same name by Ottessa Moshfegh, Eileen “follows a peculiar young woman whose dreary life stretches on toward unending misery. In frigid 1960s Boston, Eileen (played by Thomasin McKenzie) shuffles between her father’s dingy, emotionally haunted home and the prison where she works alongside colleagues who have ostracised her.

“When an intoxicating woman (played by Anne Hathaway) joins the prison staff, Eileen is immediately taken with her. Just when the possibility of a salvational friendship (or maybe more) takes hold and forms a singular glimmer in Eileen’s darkness, her newfound confidant entangles her in a shocking crime that alters everything.”

Who stars in Eileen?

Directed by William Oldroyd (Lady Macbeth), the film will star Oscar-winning actor Anne Hathaway as the prison’s new counsellor, Dr Rebecca Saint John, and Thomasin McKenzie as the young secretary, Eileen.

Shea Whigham, Marin Ireland and Owen Teague also star in the film, which was adapted for the screen by Moshfegh with Luke Goebel.

Speaking to Vanity Fair about the film, McKenzie said: “I think one of my favourite films of all time is The Princess Diaries, so meeting Anne, I was pretty starstruck, to be honest,” McKenzie says. “That really worked in my favour. My personal perspective of Anne matched Eileen’s relationship with Rebecca… in a much less extreme and disturbed way.”

When will Eileen be released in the UK?

Universal Pictures has announced the UK nationwide theatrical release date of Eileen as 1 December 2023, with the film having its UK premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on Sunday 8 October.

Image: Universal Pictures