Number 9 Films has announced that Gemma Arterton is set to portray music icon Dusty Springfield in So Much Love, a dynamic, original take on a vibrantly creative period in the life and career of British soul legend.
Set in the 1968, at the peak of Springfield’s popularity, So Much Love will follow her journey to Memphis, Tennessee to record the career-defining record, ‘Dusty in Memphis,’ which was inducted to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001. As Dusty navigates her way through the politics of both the recording studio and the city, what she sees, hears and experiences there draw her back to key moments in her life and artistic development— including her destiny altering encounter with the music of Motown, her stand against apartheid policies during her aborted South African tour, and her thorny brushes with men in the music industry who were intimidated by both her talent and her insistence on moulding perfect performances rather than settling for good ones.
“I have been an admirer of Dusty Springfield since I was a teenager: her effortless husky voice, the way she conveyed emotion through music, how she helped bring Motown to the UK,” said Arterton. “Dusty was ahead of her time in many ways and inspired so many future artists. She was generous, witty, mercurial, shy, extrovert and a true English eccentric. I simply cannot wait to play her.”
“Dusty Springfield has long been a hero of mine— an innovative, brilliant artist and a complex, contradictory woman— I can’t wait to bring her to life on screen,” added Oscar-nominated screenwriter Phyllis Nagy (Carol), who will make her directorial debut on the film. “I am thrilled to partner with Number 9 on So Much Love, our third film together. Elizabeth and Stephen are inspiring producers who advocate fiercely for their filmmakers’ visions. And to collaborate with an artist of Gemma’s caliber — she’s an amazing talent — is a writer/director’s dream come true.”
So Much Love is set to shoot in both the U.K. and the U.S. in spring 2019.
