Draft:Monstrous Beauty

Monstrous Beauty is an upcoming project written and directed by Romola Garai and produced by Matthew James Wilkinson for Stigma Films. It is set to feature Bella Ramsey, Dominic West, Fiona Shaw and Ruth Negga.

Synopsis
The project is period drama set in the 17th century English court of King Charles II (West) where Barbara (Ramsey) has a place as a “natural wonder” due to being born with a rare condition that causes hair to grow from every part of their body. Barbara, however, wants the attention of Nell Gwynn (Negga) in order to be taken seriously as a playwright.

Cast

 * Bella Ramsey as Barbara Field
 * Dominic West as King Charles II
 * Ruth Negga as Nell Gwynn
 * Fiona Shaw as Aphra Behn
 * Louis Hofmann as Vale

Casting
In April 2023, Bella Ramsey, Dominic West, Ruth Negga, and Fiona Shaw were revealed to be involved in the project. In May 2023, Louis Hofmann joined the cast. It received financing from newly the established Heatseeker Media for independent productions.

Filming
Filming was initially scheduled to begin in September 2023.