Entertainment news and discussion on TalkFuse.
Freya Allan & Kodi Smit-McPhee Star In Nick Hamm’s Jack The Ripper-Era Thriller ‘Black Palace’ — First Look
Deadline has released first-look images from Black Palace, a period thriller directed by Nick Hamm set in Jack the Ripper-era London, which stars Freya Allan and Kodi Smit-McPhee alongside a notable British ensemble cast. The film is now in post-production, and its release matters for the industry as a fresh awards-adjacent period drama entering the market just as sales talks begin ahead of the autumn festival circuit.
The story follows a young woman placed inside Buckingham Palace during 1888, tasked with spying on one of Queen Victoria's grandsons who repeatedly disappears at night, only to uncover secrets endangering both the Crown and herself, against a backdrop of tabloid hysteria over the Ripper murders. The cast also includes Joe Anders, Raffey Cassidy, Iain Glen, Martin Clunes and Juliet Stevenson, with a screenplay by Jon Croker. It is produced across several companies, including Hamm's newly formed Hamm4 banner, with New Regency handling worldwide sales as distributors are approached during the festival season.
In short
- Black Palace first-look images released; stars Freya Allan, Kodi Smit-McPhee
- Period thriller set in 1888 London during Jack the Ripper panic
- Now in post-production; New Regency seeking distributors at festivals
Explained simply
Nick Hamm is a British director known for period and historical dramas, and Black Palace is his latest project, currently in post-production ahead of a planned release. It stars Freya Allan, known for her role in The Witcher, and Kodi Smit-McPhee, an Australian actor recognised for The Power of the Dog, alongside established British performers including Iain Glen, Martin Clunes and Juliet Stevenson.
The film is set in London in 1888, the year Jack the Ripper murdered several women in the Whitechapel area, an unsolved case that caused widespread public fear and remains one of the most written-about crimes in British history. Black Palace uses this setting as a backdrop for a fictional story involving the royal household, following a young woman sent to observe one of Queen Victoria's grandsons.
Films like this are often shown to potential distributors at autumn film festivals, where companies bid for the rights to release a movie in different countries. New Regency, the company handling sales for Black Palace, is a long-established film financier and studio, and how a new film performs at this stage can shape its eventual audience and awards prospects.
Celebrity Entertainment Film Gaming UK World