Noël Coward's Blithe Spirit to Receive New Film Adaptation with Judi Dench

A fresh film version of Noël Coward's iconic farce Blithe Spirit has been newly announced by Variety. Filming is underway for the flick, which will feature Tony- and Oscar-winning actress Judi Dench in the standout role of medium Madame Arcati. The cast will also include Dan Stevens, Isla Fisher and Leslie Mann.

Blithe Spirit tells the story of Charles (Stevens) and his wife, Ruth (Fisher), who invite their friends the Bradmans over for dinner and a séance with local clairvoyant Madame Arcati (Dench), whom they are convinced is a fake. Soon, the ghost of Charles' first wife, Elvira (Mann), is summoned and overstays her welcome, creating a rift between Charles and his current wife Ruth. The feuding wives—one alive, one dead—plan to sabotage each other.

Blithe Spirit debuted on Broadway in 1941 and was first adapted into a major motion picture in 1945. Two TV movies (1956 and 1966) followed, in addition to three Broadway revivals (1943, 1987 and 2009), the latter of which won Angela Lansbury her fifth Tony Award for her turn as Madame Arcati.

Edward Hall is set to direct the new Blithe Spirit film, which is adapted by Piers Ashworth, Meg Leonard and Nick Moorcroft, and slated to arrive in cinemas in 2020.