William Thacker’s film STEVEN revealed its lead actor today

Honlodge Productions today announces that Jack Lowden, the Olivier Award winning actor and star of BBC’s WAR & PEACE, has been cast in the lead role of STEVEN, the first ever feature film about one of the most iconic UK recording artists — Morrissey, with principle photography to commence in April.  STEVEN is the debut feature from Oscar and BAFTA-nominated writer/director Mark Gill. Orian Williams and Baldwin Li are producing. The script was written by Gill and his long-time collaborator, author William Thacker.

STEVEN charts Morrissey’s years immediately prior to the formation of The Smiths, shining a light on how an awkward teenager from Manchester escaped a dead-end existence, to form a legendary songwriting partnership with Johnny Marr. With this meeting, The Smiths were born and went on to sell millions of records worldwide, securing their status as one of the most seminal bands ever to emerge from the UK.

Co-writer William Thacker says: “We’re really pleased with the script and we’re confident the story will connect with many people, not just Smiths fans. In Jack we have an actor whose charm and depth can bring something really exciting to the role.”

“It’s going to be an exciting couple of months, with the filming of Steven in April followed by the release of my novel Lingua Franca in May.”