Emma Thompson, Anna Friel & Christopher Eccleston Starring In British Movie ‘Hear Me Roar’ About Landmark Transgender Marriage Case

Emma Thompson, Anna Friel and Christopher Eccleston are aboard Hear Me Roar, a movie telling the story of a transgender woman who took on the British government in a legal battle over her marriage.

Amy Coop’s pic tells the story of Elizabeth Bellinger, who became one of the few transgender people in Britain to get married in the 1980s. She kept this ceremony secret from almost everyone until 2000 when she launched a campaign to have her marriage to Michael Bellinger legally recognized and the case went to the courts. The drama starts with her meeting with barrister Ashley Bayston, who co-wrote the feature with lead writer Lisa McMullin, and charts the resulting complex legal obstacle course they undertook over the next three years.

More from Deadline

ADVERTISEMENT

Two-time Academy Award winner Thompson plays the judge in the case, Elizabeth Butler-Sloss. Friel has been cast as Bayston, Rebecca Root is Bellinger and Eccleston is her husband, while the pic also stars Julian Ovenden (Bridgerton).

Thompson said: “I’m weeping like a baby, it’s so moving and powerful and funny. It’s a great story and script with wonderful characters – I just loved it and it moved me deeply. I think it’s both fascinating and profoundly meaningful and essential.”

Coop added: “It’s a privilege to be working with such a great team to tell this incredible story, an overlooked part of modern British History that represented a seismic shift for LGBTQ+ people.”

Producers are Darren Stuart, whose credits include Capital Punishment and the documentary Stone By Stone, and David Nichols (Everest, The Tourist, William Tell).

Best of Deadline

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.