EXCLUSIVE: George Blagden (Vikings, Versailles) and Anna Popplewell (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe) will lead the cast of The Gallery, a UK interactive hostage-thriller project that will also be delivered separately as a linear film.
The feature contains two narratives, one following a female protagonist which takes place in London in 1981, and one following a male protagonist which takes place in London 2021. They both depict an art gallery curator being held hostage by a portrait painter who threatens to detonate a bomb unless their demands are met.
The project comes from director and writer Paul Raschid, who last year helmed the interactive romantic comedy Five Dates, which starred Doctor Who actress Mandip Gill and Vikings actress Georgia Hirst. That film was released on platforms including Playstation, Xbox, Nintendo and Steam.
The Gallery will be completed by October 2021. Shooting took place in February and March this year. The producers are aiming to release both a linear version of the film which can play at festivals, and an interactive version that can be released on online platforms.
Cast also includes Rebecca Root (The Queen’s Gambit), Shannon Tarbet (Beast), Fehinti Balogun (I May Destroy You) and Kara Tointon (Eastenders). The producer is former studio exec Neville Raschid.