With Richard E Grant and newcomer Max Harwood

Sharon Horgan and Richard E. Grant are to star in a movie version of West End hit Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.

Inspired by the 2011 BBC Three documentary Jamie: Drag Queen, the show is about a 16-year-old outsider who finds a way of escaping his dull life on a council estate in Sheffield

Grant will play former drag queen and Jamie’s mentor Hugo with Horgan as Jamie’s teacher Miss Hedge.  Shobna Gulati, from the original stage cast, will reprise her role of Ray.

Newcomer Max Harwood was cast in the title role of Jamie New ahead of more than 3,000 hopefuls who applied to an open casting call. The 21-year-old from Basingstoke is currently studying at Urdang Academy in London. This is his first professional role.

The new film reunites the original creative team behind the stage production: director Jonathan Butterell, writer Tom MacRae, composer Dan Gillespie Sells and choreographer Kate Prince. 

In a joint statement, the team said: ‘Who would have thought when Jamie Campbell first put on his prom dress, that eight years later we would have brought together the best of British and Irish acting talent to tell his story. 

‘As well as launching a brand new star in Max Harwood to play Jamie himself, we’re so thrilled to welcome Sarah, Richard and Sharon to the Jamie family. Now the party’s really getting started.’

Producer Mark Herbert from Warp Films adds: ‘Warp Films are absolutely delighted that Richard, Sharon and Sarah are joining the Jamie family, and we are so excited that after nearly a year of searching we have found our Jamie- we can’t wait to start this journey with Max and to share this film with the world ‘

Filming will begin in Sheffield on June 24.

Published: 14 Jun 2019