The first trailer for upcoming horror flick Doctor Jekyll has landed, and with it comes the very first glimpse of Suzy Izzard in the title role.
The film is a modern adaptation of the classic Scottish novella The Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde, and is scheduled to be released just in time for Halloween.
The movie sees renowned actor, comedian and activist Suzy in the role of the reclusive Dr. Nina Jekyll/Rachel Hyde, a successful figure in the pharmaceutical industry who hires Rob as her assistant in her secluded mansion.
But not everything is as it seems, as the pair are forced to join forces to prevent Hyde from ruining Doctor Nina’s life.
Directed by Joe Stephenson, the film also stars Scott Chambers, Jonathan Hyde and Lindsay Duncan.
“There’ve been over 100 cinematic adaptations of [Robert Louis] Stevenson’s novella, but there has never been a trans Dr. Jekyll,” Stephenson told horror fan magazine Fangoria.
“There seems to be some assumptions that because Nina is a trans character, we are somehow going to make it about gender. That is not the case; the themes of our film are true to the original work.”
Shortly after prime minister Rishi Sunak made his stance on transgender rights clear during his speech at the Conservative Party Conference last week, the timing of Suzy’s landmark portrayal of Dr. Nina Jekyll – and the representation it provides to the trans community – couldn’t have come at a better time.
Doctor Jekyll will receive its official red carpet premiere in London on 11 October before it hits cinemas across the UK on 27 October.