Benedict Cumberbatch takes on a curious nickname in the trailer for his latest film: the “Cat Man.” And there are a lot of kitties to go around in this first look at “The Electrical Life of Louis Wain.”
Will Sharpe’s tongue-in-cheek biographical film tells the story of British artist Louis Wain, who rose to fame for his countless paintings of cats that were as colorful and cloyingly cutesy as you might expect. His work hasn’t exactly stood the test of time, but the film explores how Wain was a troubled soul with a fascination for the mysteries of the world. And over time, you could say he even became something of an “expert” when it came to cats.
“They will turn blue and communicate with us in our own language,” Cumberbatch says in the trailer. “Did you say that they would turn blue… wow,” a character played by Claire Foy responds.
“The Electrical Life of Louis Wain” made its debut at Telluride earlier this month and then also played Toronto. Alongside Cumberbatch and Foy is a cast that includes Andrea Riseborough, Toby Jones, Sharon Rooney, Aimee Lou Wood, Hayley Squires, Stacy Martin, Phoebe Nicholls, Adeel Akhtar, Asim Chaudhry, Richard Ayoade, Julian Barratt and Sophia di Martino. The film also features some impressive cameos, including Taika Waititi, rock star Nick Cave and Olivia Colman as the film’s narrator.
STUDIOCANAL, Film4, Shoebox, SunnyMarch and Amazon Studios are behind the film. It will open first in theaters from Amazon Studios in the U.S. on Oct. 22, followed by a debut on Prime Video on Nov. 5. Studiocanal will release in the UK, France, Germany, Australia and New Zealand in early 2022.
Check out the first trailer for “The Electrical Life of Louis Wain” here and above.