Joe Locke is among the UK talent joining Andrew Scott and Olivia Colman in an upcoming biopic about Ian Charleson.
Titled Elsinore, the film stars Scott (All of Us Strangers) as Scottish stage and screen actor Ian Charleson, who memorably appeared in the Oscar-winning films Chariots of Fire (1981) and Gandhi (1982), and was widely celebrated for his final role on stage as Hamlet at London’s National Theatre.
Widely regarded as one of the finest actors of his generation, Charleson was diagnosed with HIV in 1986 and tragically passed away four years later, at just 40 years old. In a historic move, he requested that it be publicly revealed after his death that he had died of AIDS, becoming the first UK celebrity whose death was openly linked to the disease.
The Ian Charleson Awards were established following his death, which annually reward the best classical stage performances in Britain by actors under the age of 30.
According to Deadline, Locke has joined the cast in an undisclosed role. The British actor is best known for playing Charlie Spring in Heartstopper and Billy Maximoff/William Kaplan in the MCU series Agatha All Along. He will reprise his role as Charlie in the upcoming film conclusion, Heartstopper Forever.
That's a wrap on the Heartstopper movie 🍂
HEARTSTOPPER FOREVER is coming in 2026. pic.twitter.com/2U9oPDwUtn
— Netflix (@netflix) July 28, 2025
A host of other British actors have also been announced, including Billie Piper (Doctor Who), Luke Thompson (Bridgerton), Monica Dolan (Mr Bates vs The Post Office), Adeel Akhtar (Sherwood), Matthew Beard (The Testament of Ann Lee), David Dawson (Ripper Street), Kadiff Kirwan (Slow Horses), Dickie Beau (Bohemian Rhapsody) and Peter Mullan (Ozark).
Elsinore is directed by Simon Stone, whose most recent credit is the 2025 psychological thriller The Woman in Cabin 10, while Pride (2014) writer Stephen Beresford helms the script.
Elsinore is being produced by Studiocanal, LD Entertainment, Lucky Red, and Magnolia Mae Films, and is currently shooting on locations across the UK. Producers include Andrea Occhipinti (Lucky Red), Gabrielle Tana (Magnolia Mae Films), Pete Shilaimon and Mickey Liddell (LD Entertainment), Stefano Massenzi, Carolyn Marks Blackwood and Andrew Scott.
Studiocanal is financing the film, while LD Entertainment has pre-bought North American rights. Ron Halpern, EVP of Global Production, and Joe Naftalin, SVP of Global Production and Head of UK Film Production, are overseeing the project for Studiocanal.
The company will release Elsinore theatrically in its territories, the UK, France, Germany, Poland, Benelux, Australia and New Zealand, with Lucky Red handling distribution in Italy. Studiocanal will manage worldwide sales and will be presenting the film at next month’s European Film Market (EFM).
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