Production takes place in the UK. JoyNetflix feature film based on the true story of the world’s first in vitro fertilization baby, starring Bill Nighy, James Norton and Thomasin McKenzie.
Screen you can check out an exclusive first look at the film above.
The film is directed by Briton Ben Taylor, who previously directed episodes of the Netflix series. Sex Education; from a script by BAFTA Award-winning writer Jack Thorne, who wrote the story with his wife Rachel Mason.
Joy produced by Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey from the British studio Wildgaze; with executive producer Cameron McCracken for Pathe. The film is a British production and managed by Equity.
Spanning from 1968 to 1978, the film follows three pioneers as they face opposition from church, state, media and the medical establishment in their search for the world’s first “test tube baby”, Louise Joy Brown. The three figures are a young nurse, a visionary scientist, and a pioneering surgeon, played by Mackenzie, Norton, and Nighy, respectively.
“I’ve been a lifelong fan of Jack Thorne and it was a pleasure working with him and Rachel on my first feature film,” said Taylor. “As the proud father of two boys made possible only by IVF, this story is very close to my heart. I am honored to bring to life the journey of this heroic trio, whose world-changing work was achieved only against the backdrop of unimaginable resistance. Thomasin, James and Bill – along with the rest of the cast – are an embarrassment of riches. I’m delighted that Pathe, Wildgaze and Netflix have entrusted me with this brilliant story.”
“It took seven rounds of IVF for Rachel and I to give birth to Elliott, so when the opportunity to tell the story of the pioneers came up, I jumped at the opportunity and suggested that Rachel might want to take the leap too,” Thorne added. “The more we discovered, the more we were amazed at the boldness of the science and the lack of support from the scientific community. This is an incredible story. Working on this with our incredible cast, amazing director Ben and the brilliant producers at Wildgaze, Pathe and Netflix has been an absolute pleasure.”
Dwyer and Posey’s Wildgaze is best known for its award-winning British films, including Education with Carey Mulligan and Brooklyn with Saoirse Ronan.