Since her Star Wars trilogy ended, Daisy Ridley has largely ploughed herself into indie fare. She’s soon to be seen in morbid drama Sometimes I Think About Dying, and led Neil Burger’s psychological thriller The Marsh King’s Daughter – but next, she’s switching gears again. She’s the titular young woman of Young Woman And The Sea (note: the sea is being played by… well, the sea), which is a character-focused human drama – but not an indie film. No, it's a Disney production from producer Jerry Bruckheimer, with Ridley playing Gertrude 'Trudy' Ederle – the 1920s American swimming champion who made it her mission to swim the English Channel. Check out the trailer here:
Anyone else feeling nippy just watching that? For all that Rey had Daisy Ridley leaping through Star Destroyer caverns and fighting for her life in snowy battlefields, this looks like a different kind of physical challenge – heading into the deep end (literally) for a tale of personal and psychological endurance. And swarms of jellyfish. No thanks. The film is directed by Joachim Rønning – also behind the upcoming Tron: Ares – and was originally meant for Disney+, but is now receiving a theatrical release (reportedly due to strong test screenings). There are some other well-known faces here, including Brit favourites Stephen Graham, Christopher Eccleston, and Sian Clifford. Trudy’s sister Meg is played by Tilda Cobham-Hervey.
It’s not often that these kinds of big-studio, human-focused sports dramas make it to the screen any more – fingers crossed Young Woman And The Sea makes a splash when it comes to cinemas on 31 May.