Remake of Noel Coward comedy

Judi Dench, Dan Stevens and Isla Fisher are to star in a new movie version of Noel Coward’s comedy Blithe Spirit.

Filming on the remake will start in London next month, directed by Edward Hall – who has previously called the shots on Downton Abbey.

The story revolves around a crime novelist who tries to cure his writer’s block by inviting the eccentric medium Madame Arcati to his home to perform a seance – where she inadvertently conjures up the ghost of his first wife.

Blithe Spirit  originally ran on the West End for a then-record 1,997 performances, starting in 1941. David Lean then made it into a film in 1945, starring Margaret Rutherford,  who had also been in the stage version, and Rex Harrison.

The movie – as revealed by movie trade website Screen Daily – follows a revival of the play which opens at the Theatre Royal Bath next month, with Jennifer Saunders as Madame Arcati.

Published: 15 May 2019