Amanda Seyfried’s sweeping musical drama “Anne Lee’s Will” was discovered to be distributed after the premiere of the Venice Film Festival. Searchlight Pictures has won North American and most international territories rights with plans to release the film theatrical release in 2025.
Director Mona Fastvold’s “Anne Lee Will” follows Sayfried as the title character who was the founder of Shaker, a radical religious moment that began in the late 1700s. One of the few female religious leaders of the 18th century, Lee and her followers were known for worshipping through eccentric songs and movements. Thomasin Mackenzie, Lewis Pullman, Stacey Martin, Tim Blake Nelson, Christopher Abbott and Matthew Beard also appear in the film.
“I grew up in a secular family, but Ann Lee’s prophecy moved me incredibly deeply, not because I share her faith, but because I recognize her longing for justice, transcendence, and community grace,” Fastbold said in a statement. “Her radical pursuit of self-fashion utopia speaks to the creative impulses at the heart of all artistic endeavors: the urgent need to reshape the world.”
In a positive review of variety, critic Guy Lodge praised the film’s “Enchanting Borderline Absuld’s Music Number” and the performances of the leading women. “On paper, this may all sound very bloodless and conceptual,” he wrote. “In fact, most have a serious and heartfelt sweep thanks to Amanda Seyfried’s unrespectful commitment and deep nerves of deep senses, not far from the musical terrain of ‘Mammaa!’. Or “Les Misérables”, but she is completely commanding her gifts – in the role of the title. ”
FastVold co-authored Ann Lee’s Will and partner Brady Corbet. The two recently wrote “The Bulltaist,” directed by Corbett. The film is a three-hour and 30-minute epic, and was bought by the A24 of Venice last year, earning 10 Oscar nominations in addition to $50 million at the global box office. Other films from FastVold include 2014’s “The Sleepalker” and 2020’s “The World to Come.”
At the official press conference for “Anley’s Will,” FastVold and Corbet were frank about the challenge of funding independent films for just $10 million. The story focuses on lesser known chapters of American history. This means that the film wasn’t the most obvious sale to investors.
“It was a pretty feat,” Corbett said. “As you can imagine, the elevator pitch for the Shaker Musical was not the easiest to get off the ground. ”
Despite a lean budget (major studio films can cost at least five times more), FastVold created a large set of works and created elaborate musical numbers to guide Ann Lee’s story to the big screen.
“I thought Anne Lee deserved something spectacular and wonderful,” Fastbold said. “Have you seen male icons over and over again on a massive scale? Can’t you see one story about women like this?”
