Gemma Arterton will play Dusty Springfield in new movie set in 1960s

A new movie about English pop singer Dusty Springfield will begin filming next year.

So Much Love will be the directorial debut of screenwriter Phyllis Nagy, who received an Oscar nomination for writing 2015’s period drama romance Carol.

The film is set at the peak of Springfield’s popularity and follows her journey to Memphis, Tennessee in 1968 to record her career-defining record, Dusty In Memphis.

The star was born in 1939 in Enfield, Middlesex and died in 1999 at the age of just 59.

Director and writer Phyllis Nagy commented: “Dusty Springfield has long been a hero of mine; an innovative, brilliant artist and a complex, contradictory woman and I can’t wait to bring her to life on screen.”

Dusty Springfield will be played by 32-year-old English actress Gemma Arterton, best known for her roles in Their Finest, St Trinian’s and James Bond movie Quantum of Solace.

The official synopsis reads: “As Dusty navigates her way through the politics of both the recording studio and the city, what she sees, hears and experiences there draws her back to key moments in her life and artistic development.”

Empire magazine reports that key moments will include Dusty’s “destiny altering encounter with the music of Motown, her stand against apartheid policies during her aborted South African tour, and her thorny brushes with men in the music industry who were intimidated by both her talent and her insistence on moulding perfect performances rather than settling for good ones.”

Cameras will start rolling on So Much Love next spring in the UK and USA.

We expect it to be released in cinemas in late 2019.