Harry Styles is set to tackle his first leading role in My Policeman, sharing the screen with Peaky Blinders' David Dawson and The Crown's Emma Corrin in an adaptation of Bethan Roberts' book of the same name.
The drama, which will release on Prime Video on November 4 following a limited run in cinemas, is set to feature two timelines. Predominantly, it'll be set in 1950s Brighton, where copper Tom Burgess (Styles) strikes up a romance with teacher Marion (Corrin). Their relationship proves conflicting for Tom, however, due to his affections for museum curator Patrick (Dawson).
In the latest Total Film magazine, director Michael Grandage reflected on casting the trio, and how it was always a given that their more mature counterparts would be played by different actors. Below, you can check out an exclusive new image of the younger threesome in My Policeman, as featured in the new issue.
In it, Tom, Marion, and Patrick, all dolled up, can be seen entering a swanky venue. Judging by the happy looks on their faces, they're attending some sort of fancy soirée – but given the complicated nature of their relationships, the smiles aren't likely to last.
In the 1990s, trinity are brought to life by Linus Roache, Gina McKee, and Rupert Everett, as their lives become intertwined once again when grown-up Patrick suffers a stroke.
"What is fascinating is, it never, ever came up," Grandage tells Teasers, when we ask if age make-up or digital trickery was considered for the characters' older selves. "It was always clearly written for the idea of two very separate periods of time. And what's fascinating to me is that I couldn't even have conceived [doing it another way], because I don't think we are the same person 40 years later. I'm certainly not. [The film] tries to really investigate how we go on emotional, intellectual journeys over 40 years.
For Grandage, it was essential that the film proved as informative as it did moving – illuminating what it meant to have lived during a time when being gay was not only socially frowned upon but actually illegal. "Particularly in the current climate, now that we know what may happen in America, in the light of Roe v Wade being overturned..." says Grandage. "I think there is a danger for the first time in my life that we could now be going back a little, and this film comes at a point where I think it can be quite educative."
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For much more from the cast and crew behind the movie check out the new issue of Total Film, which also features articles on The Woman King, Black Adam, and more.
The magazine reaches shelves on August 18 and will be available to order through this link. Or subscribe and never miss an issue again and receive magazines with exclusive cover images and insider secrets. My Policeman reaches select US theaters on October 21, before being released on Prime Video on November 4.
