We may be eagerly anticipating the next season of The Handmaid’s Tale – yes, even after that unexpected finale – but it seems as though Margaret Atwood’s words are the basis of yet another engaging new on-screen delight.

Stone Mattress is the upcoming film that’s garnering all the buzz at the Cannes Film Festival. But it’s safe to say that’s it’s got all the markings of a film that looks likely to be found firmly at the top of our watchlist.

An Atwood thriller? Revenge as the central premise? Timely themes? And now, two leading actors – Sandra Oh and Julianne Moore – have been confirmed. We simply cannot wait to see them catapult this film to deserved heights.

With that, here’s everything you need to know about Stone Mattress. 

What is the plot of Stone Mattress?

The upcoming film has been described as a “blue-chip revenge thriller” and the whole saga will unfold on a cruise ship in the Arctic, bringing new meaning to the term ‘chilling’, we imagine.

Lynne Ramsay (You Were Never Really Here) will direct the film, which is based on the acclaimed New Yorker short story by Atwood.

According to Deadline, the story follows Verna, a 60-year-old retired physiotherapist and two-time widow, who “embarks on a luxurious cruise into the magnificent and silently thawing Arctic Northwest Passage, populated by a crowd of privileged influencers and wealthy retirees”.

It’s on the ship that Verna meets friendly and charming Grace and the seemingly ordinary Bob, “an unaccompanied man in his mid-60s who inherited a family business”.

The synopsis continues: “Although he doesn’t have a fraction of Verna’s elegance and wit, Bob tries to seduce her. But he might not be the foolish yet harmless man he initially appears to be, and his presence troubles Verna. As wounds and humiliations from her past resurface, the smooth atmosphere of the cruise will be disturbed by a shocking act.”

Just what could that “shocking act” be, we wonder? Our minds immediately go towards a murder-mystery, but perhaps there’s something a lot more sinister to uncover here. 

Who will star in Stone Mattress?

Leading the cast of this movie will be Sandra Oh (Killing Eve) and Oscar award winner Julianne Moore (Still Alice) as Grace and Verna respectively.

The mysterious character of Bob is yet to be finalised, but we do know that casting is currently underway so watch this space for updates. 

What has been said about Stone Mattress?

The film announcement comes at a time of increasingly fraught news on women’s bodies, autonomy and rights. It’s something that Ramsey is keen to home in on within the project, which comes at an important time.

Speaking about the movie, she said: “With the current repeal in women’s rights across the world, particularly regarding the overturning of Roe v Wade in America, this story, with its themes of stolen motherhood and unaccounted sexual abuse, feels more important than ever.”

Ramsay expanded: “I first read Margaret Atwood when I was a teenager, and her work has gripped me ever since. She is simply one of the most intelligent, prophetic and engaging writers around and Stone Mattress is another perfect illustration of that. I was immediately gripped by the way it framed the deeply buried trauma of a post-menopausal woman – an age group we hear from all too rarely – through the dynamic and multifaceted character of Verna.”

She continued: “From its tongue-in-cheek humour to its moments of icy vengeance and delicate portrayal of an emotional repression specific to the boomer generation, it is a story I’ve wanted to materialize on screen since my first reading.  

“The opportunity to shoot in the Arctic, on the frontline of the most urgent threat to our world and on the verge of irredeemable transformation, will lend the story another layer of devastation. Just like the icecaps that melt to reveal ancient histories, Stone Mattress sees years of Verna’s pain and fury thaw before our eyes to expose the raw emotion underneath.” 

When and where will Stone Mattress be available to watch?

Filming for Stone Mattress is slated to commence on location in Greenland and Iceland this September. Amazon is already in place for domestic distribution while Film4 and Studiocanal are in talks with Amazon for international launch.

We’ll be sure to keep you updated once we know more.

Watch this space. 

Images: Getty