‘Downton Abbey’ Writer Julian Fellowes & Elizabeth McGovern Reunite For ‘The Chaperone’ – Cannes

Downton Abbey star Elizabeth McGovern is reuniting with the show’s scribe Julian Fellowes and director Michael Engler for feature film The Chaperone. Based on Laura Moriarty’s novel of the same name, it marks the first feature film from Masterpiece and will air on PBS stations nationwide after its initial theatrical run. Story is set against the backdrop of the tumultuous times of the early 1920s when a Kansas woman sees her life forever changed when she chaperones a beautiful 15-year-old dancer named Louse Brooks to New York for the summer.

Masterpiece is co-producing the title with Rose Pictures in association with Anonymous Content. Arclight Films is financing and handling international sales for the project and will shop it to buyers in Cannes this week. PBS Distribution will distribute the film theatrically and for home entertainment in the U.S. UTA Independent Film Group handled North American rights.

Finance for the pic is provided by Altus Media of which Paul Brett and John Fields are directors. Peter Nichols acts as a consultant.