EXCLUSIVE: After playing wonderful and unique young women in The last of us And Game Of Thrones, Bella Ramsey found her potentially memorable next role as a period drama star monstrous beauty.

Ramsey, who rose to fame as the precocious Lady of Bear Island in OBTAINED, returns to court but this time as an aspiring court dramatist to King Charles II who suffers from a rare disease which means she is completely covered in hair. This is her first announced role since the HBO blockbuster. The last of us.

Atonement And Time star Romola Garai wrote and will direct the film, which will also star Dominica West as King Charles II (having recently played Prince Charles in The crown), Oscar nominee Ruth Negga (Who passed) as his mistress Nell Gwyn, and Fiona Shaw (Kill Eve) as Aphra Ben, the first ever published female playwright in history. The story mixes fiction and real historical characters.

Filming is expected to begin in September. Matthew James Wilkinson (Yesterday) produced for Stigma Films.

HanWay is handling sales and will talk to buyers about the project in preparation for the walking sticks market next month, where it will be among the fashionable packaging. Scroll down to see some striking early artwork for the film.

Here is the full synopsis of the project: “Set in the 17th Century, monstrous beauty is the story of a unique young woman, Barbara Field (Ramsey), born into poverty with a rare condition that means she is completely covered in hair. Gifted with the precious gift of an education, she is offered the opportunity of a place in the luxurious and decadent court of King Charles II (West), as a “natural wonder” where people with extraordinary appearances mingle with the ‘aristocracy.

“Driven by a desire to be defined for who she is rather than how she looks, Barbara aspires to become a playwright under the auspices of famed actress Nell Gwyn (Negga), powerful mistress to the king. Nell herself intends to teach Charles a public lesson in truly appreciating women beyond their physical appearance. Barbara seeks the help of the famous playwright of the time, Aphra Behn (Shaw), and chooses the handsome actor Vale (the object of Barbara’s own desire) as the lead, despite his lack of talent. But will Barbara succeed in becoming a woman of independent means while defying a highly patriarchal society and becoming master of her own destiny?

BAFTA and Golden Globe nominated Garai made her writer-director debut on Sundance 2020 Horror Amulet, also produced by Stigma. Garai and Ramsey previously starred together in the Starz period drama series Become Elizabeth.

department heads on monstrous beauty include Laura Bellingham as director of photography (Amulet), Francesca Massariol as decorator (The power) and Sarah Angliss (Amulet) as a composer. Casting is by Gemma Sykes (Developers), and the prosthetics and special make-up come from Millennium FX (The toxic avenger).

The last of us showrunner Craig Mazin last month confirmed to us that Ramsey will be back for the second season of HBO’s post-apocalyptic hit, in which she stars alongside Pedro Pascal. Last night’s series scored five film and television nominations on MTV.

Gabrielle Stewart, Hanway Movies CEO, said: “Romola’s brilliant storyline about identity, power, beauty and the role of the arts in impacting society has attracted an incredible array of top acting talent from Britain and Ireland. It’s a timeless, entertaining story that young and old, men and women, and everyone in between can enjoy together and have plenty to talk about afterwards.

Writer-director Romola Garai added: “I am beyond thrilled to bring to the screen this script, which I love so much and which has lived in me for so many years. Barbara’s deep need to express herself and to be seen and appreciated by others… is all ours; I’m over the moon and truly honored to make this film with such an incredible roster of talent – they responded with such intelligence, sensitivity and love to Barbara and her story.”