‘Game Of Thrones’ Star Lena Headey To Make Directorial Debut On Thriller ‘Violet’

Andreas Wiseman
·2 min read
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EXCLUSIVE: Game of Thrones and 300 star Lena Headey is to make her feature directorial debut on psychological thriller Violet.

Based on the successful recent novel by SJI Holliday, the story follows two solo female travelers who immediately hit it off and decide to team up for the next leg of their adventure. As the journey continues things start to unravel – because neither of the women is who they claim to be.

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Producers describe it to us as having elements of The Talented Mr. Ripley and Single White Female, while publishers have also compared it to Killing Eve.

The project heralds from UK producer-financier Goldfinch Entertainment. Screenplay is penned by Gareth Pritchard, whose Sankara Pictures (The Rise) will co-produce with Mark Foligno (Moon) of Limelight CTL and Ben Charles Edwards (Quant) and Phil McKenzie (Twist) of Goldfinch Entertainment.

The book originally was optioned by Dark Alliance Film. Ed Boase and Marcus Stamps from the company are aboard as executive producers. Production is slated to start in October.

Headey wrote and directed 2019 BAFTA-nominated short film The Trap and directed her GoT co-star Maisie Williams in a music video for singer Freya Ridings. The Emmy nominee recently starred in Netflix action-thriller Gunpowder Milkshake and HBO’s upcoming The White House Plumbers.

Headey said: “Susi’s Violet is a compulsive page turner that stayed with me long after I finished the book — it’s exciting that my first feature as a director will be such an intense female thriller. It’s a wild ride to the finish with vast cinematic scope, centering around two very complex women who will completely unravel over the course of the film. I can’t wait to get rolling.”

Phil McKenzie, Goldfinch’s Chief Operating Officer, added: “Goldfinch Entertainment exists to fuel incredible projects and creative leaps – and we’re excited to be supporting the multi-talented Lena Headey’s foray into feature directing with this irresistible and chilling female-fronted thriller. Gareth has deftly selected and adapted an impossible to put down book into a riveting exploration of a casual friendship that goes deeply awry – and we can’t wait to see it come to life on screen.”

Previous Goldfinch Entertainment titles include Sadie Frost’s documentary Quant which premiered at the 2021 London Film Festival, Kirsty Bell’s Capri Hollywood Film Festival winner A Bird Flew In, and Ronnie’s, a look at the complicated figure behind London’s most famous jazz venue.

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