The Portable Door

The Portable Door is a 2023 Australian fantasy adventure comedy film directed by Jeffrey Walker and starring Patrick Gibson, Sophie Wilde, Sam Neill, and Christoph Waltz. The screenplay by Leon Ford is based on the 2003 novel of the same name, the first in Tom Holt's J.W. Wells & Co. series. A co-production between The Jim Henson Company and Story Bridge Films, the film was released theatrically in Australia on 23 March 2023 by Madman Entertainment, before streaming on Stan from 7 April 2023.

Synopsis
Paul Carpenter and Sophie Pettingel are lowly, put-upon interns who begin working at the mysterious London firm J.W. Wells & Co., and become increasingly aware that their employers are anything but conventional. Charismatic villains Humphrey Wells, the CEO of the company, and middle manager Dennis Tanner are disrupting the world of magic by bringing modern corporate strategy to ancient magical practices, and Paul and Sophie discover the vast corporation's true agenda.

Cast

 * Patrick Gibson as Paul Carpenter
 * Sophie Wilde as Sophie Pettingel
 * Christoph Waltz as Humphrey Wells/John Wells Sr.
 * Sam Neill as Dennis Tanner
 * Miranda Otto as Countess Judy
 * Rachel House as Nienke Van Spee
 * Jessica De Gouw as Rosie Tanner
 * Chris Pang as Casimir
 * Damon Herriman as Monty Smith-Gregg
 * Christopher Sommers as Arthur Tanner

Production
In 2013, The Jim Henson Company and Story Bridge Films began developing the project.

In February 2020, Jeffrey Walker was announced to be directing the adaptation of the first book in Tom Holt's seven-part fantasy book series from a script written by Leon Ford with Christoph Waltz and Guy Pearce starring.

In May 2021, the cast was announced, including Waltz, Sam Neill (replacing Pearce), Patrick Gibson, Sophie Wilde, and Miranda Otto, with production scheduled to begin at Pinnacle Studios on the Gold Coast, Queensland.

The film was produced by Blanca Lista for The Jim Henson Company, and by Todd Fellman for Story Bridge Films.

Release
The Portable Door was released theatrically in Australia on 23 March 2023 by Madman Entertainment. The film began streaming on 7 April 2023 in Australia on Stan and in the United Kingdom on Sky Cinema and Now,  and the following day in the United States on MGM+.

Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 81% from critics based on 16 reviews.

Accolades
Benjamin Speed's score won Feature Film Score of the Year at the 2023 Screen Music Awards in Australia.