Ralph Fiennes will play legendary racehorse trainer Henry Cecil in Nora Fingscheidt’s Unbeaten for Studiocanal, House Productions and Escapade Pictures.
The film is in advanced development, ahead of a projected shoot in 2027.
Unbeaten is based on the true story of Cecil and his champion racehorse Frankel. It will follow Cecil’s final years as he emerges from disgrace, reunites with the love of his life Jane, and begins his partnership with Frankel.
Tony Rushmer, author of The Triumph Of Henry Cecil: The Authorised Biography, is a consultant on the film, with a screenplay by Bash Doran.
It will be produced by Tessa Ross for House and Rory Aitken for Escapade, with 42 also producing. The film has been developed with the support of BBC Film and Access Entertainment.
Studiocanal has fully financed Unbeaten and will release it theatrically in its territories of UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Benelux, Australia and New Zealand. Studiocanal is also handling worldwide sales.
Executive producers are Anna Marsh, Ron Halpern and Joe Naftalin for Studiocanal, with Fiennes and Doran.
Fiennes and Ross previously collaborated on Edward Berger’s Conclave, which received eight Oscar nominations including best actor for Fiennes, and won best adapted screenplay for Peter Straughan.
The project also reunites Fingscheidt with Studiocanal, after the director’s 2024 feature The Outrun.
