Roadside Attractions and Amazon Studios are partnering for the domestic theatrical release of “Love & Friendship,” a period comedy directed by Whit Stillman.
Set in the 1790s, the film stars Kate Beckinsale, Chloe Sevigny, Stephen Fry, Xavier Samuel and Emma Greenwell.
The writer/director of “Metropolitan” and “The Last Days of Disco’s” latest work is based on a posthumously published, little-read Jane Austen novel called “Lady Susan,” whose heroine, Lady Susan Vernon (Beckinsale), is intelligent, irresistible and entirely lacking in scruples. She is aided in her trouble-making by her conniving American sidekick, Alicia Johnson (Sevigny).
The plot follows Lady Susan’s trip to her in-laws to face the colorful rumors about her dalliances that are circulating through polite society. While there, she decides to secure a husband for herself and her reluctant debutante daughter, Frederica (Morfydd Clark).
Amazon acquired the North American rights for “Love & Friendship” in the summer of 2015, and the partnership with Roadside Attractions means that it will also come to theaters, following in the footsteps of Spike Lee‘s “Chi-Raq,” which got a theatrical release in advance of a streaming rollout on Amazon.
“Love & Friendship” premieres Saturday, Jan. 23, at the Sundance Film Festival.