Benedict Cumberbatch’s ‘Electrical Life of Louis Wain’ gets release date

A release date has finally been confirmed for Benedict Cumberbatch’s new period drama movie.

The Electrical Life of Louis Wain stars the 45-year-old Sherlock actor as the titular famous painter.

Born in London in 1860, Louis Wain was best known for his artworks featuring anthropomorphized large-eyed cats and kittens.

The English artist died in 1939, having suffered from schizophrenia in his later years.

Benedict Cumberbatch is joined in the film by Claire Foy as Wain’s wife, with her The Crown replacement Olivia Colman serving as the narrator.

The eclectic cast also includes Sophia Di Martino (Loki), Andrea Riseborough (Brighton Rock), Taika Waititi (What We Do in the Shadows), Toby Jones (Dad’s Army), Aimee Lou Wood (Sex Education), Sharon Rooney (Finding Alice), Hayley Squires (Call the Midwife), Phoebe Nicholls (Brideshead Revisited), Adeel Akhtar (Victoria & Abdul), Asim Chaudhry (Black Mirror), Richard Ayoade (The IT Crowd), Julian Barratt (Killing Eve), and singer Nick Cave.

Directed by BAFTA winner Will Sharpe, the movie tells “the extraordinary true story of eccentric British artist Louis Wain (Benedict Cumberbatch), whose playful, sometimes even psychedelic pictures helped to transform the public’s perception of cats forever.”

The official synopsis reads: “Moving from the late 1800s through to the 1930s, we follow the incredible adventures of this inspiring, unsung hero, as he seeks to unlock the “electrical” mysteries of the world and, in so doing, to better understand his own life and the profound love he shared with his wife Emily Richardson (Claire Foy).”

The Electrical Life of Louis Wain will arrive in cinemas in the US on Friday 22nd October.

It’ll then be available to watch on Amazon Prime Video on Friday 5th November.

StudioCanal has revealed that the movie is “coming to cinemas soon” in the UK – we’re expecting a release in early 2022.

Watch the trailer:

 

Benedict Cumberbatch also has a new adaptation of classic spy thriller The 39 Steps coming up.

Meanwhile, Claire Foy is leading the cast of BritBox’s crime drama series Marlow.

The complete Sherlock box set is available on DVD on Amazon.