Focus Features Boards The Ballad of Wallis Island Starring Tom Basden, Tim Key, and Carey Mulligan
The comedy follows an eccentric lottery winner who lives alone on a remote island and dreams of getting his favorite musicians back together.
Focus Features has acquired worldwide rights to The Ballad of Wallis Island.
James Griffiths directed the comedy, with a script written by Tom Basden and Tim Key. The film stars Tom Basden, Tim Key, Akemnji Ndifornyen, Sian Clifford, and Carey Mulligan. It was produced by Rupert Majendie's Baby Cow Productions, and Focus previously collaborated with Majendie on the 2022 Sundance comedy Brian and Charles. Additionally, Mulligan, Basden, Key, Griffiths, Sarah Monteith, Laurence Brown, Stephen Kellier, and Yana Georgieva served as executive producers.
The Ballad of Wallis Island follows Charles (Key), an eccentric lottery winner who lives alone on a remote island and dreams of getting his favorite musicians, Mortimer-McGwyer (Mulligan and Basden) back together. His fantasy quickly turns into reality when the bandmates and former lovers accept his invitation to play a private show at his home on Wallis Island. Old tensions resurface as Charles tries desperately to salvage his dream gig.
Focus Features' upcoming slate includes Piece by Piece from Morgan Neville about the life of multifaceted global superstar Pharrell Williams told through the lens of LEGO bricks, Back to Black about the life and music of Amy Winehouse from director Sam Taylor-Johnson, Robert Eggers' reimagining of Nosferatu, Edward Berger's thriller Conclave, The Bikeriders from director Jeff Nichols, Sundance-Award winner Dìdi (弟弟) from Sean Wang, Baltasar Kormakur's romantic drama Touch, and Goran Stolevski's next feature, Housekeeping for Beginners, among others.
Focus will release the film in the US with Universal Pictures International handling international distribution.