Hannah Dodd, best known for her portrayal of Francesca in Netflix’s hit Regency-era period drama “Bridgerton,” has landed her first lead film role.
The British actress, also seen in “Enola Holmes 2” and “Anatomy of a Scandal,” has joined upcoming “Miss You Forever, Zara Drake,” a romantic drama exploring love and trauma written, directed and produced by actor and poet Lucas Jones (“Break Clause”) in his feature directorial debut. Jones will also lead the film, alongside Dodd.
Set to shoot in the U.K. and U.S. in spring 2027, the film centers on Zara Drake, a woman at the peak of her ascent to adoration and notoriety. But one year after falling in love with Isaac Owens, frontman of a soon-to-be washed-up band, she seems to have disappeared from the face of the planet.
As per the synopsis: “Set in a timeless age between New York City and the tree-lined streets of England, ‘Miss You Forever, Zara Drake,’ explores the dichotomy of a love fuelled by resounding generational trauma and empty success. Built on the iconography and heritage of the 90s fashion scene, two lost souls fight to outrun their trauma.”
Jones is producing the film alongside Eli Banfield for Maryland Films. Executive producer is Richard Holmes. Key creatives working alongside Jones include cinematographer Brendan Harvey and composers Sindri Már Sigfússon and Kjartan Holm, with original music by Ava Lily, casting by Des Hamilton and additional casting by Lauren Bayly.
Dodd made her TV debut in the Hulu series “Find Me in Paris,” followed by “Harlots,” and later played Sandra, the illusionary adult form of Sprite in Chloe Zhao’s MCU feature “Eternals.” In 2022, she starred as the younger version of Sienna Miller’s character in Netflix miniseries “Anatomy of a Scandal” alongside roles in Netflix feature “Enola Holmes 2” and Lifetime miniseries “Flowers in the Attic: The Origin.” That same year it was announced she’d be replacing Ruby Stokes in the third season of the Shondaland-produced “Bridgerton” as Francesca, the quietest and most introverted of the Bridgerton family.
Alongside roles in recent TV rom-com “Break Clause,” Jones has also appeared in the series “Get Millie Black” and the feature “We Work for the Dead.” Aside from his work on screen, the Londoner is an accomplished poet whose work explores themes of masculinity, love, grief and connection. His book “I Still Believe in Miracles: Poems to Find Meaning in Difficult Times” was released earlier this year. Jones also once fronted the band The Rose Affair.