In the early twentieth century, shipping lines competed to be the fastest to complete a transatlantic crossing. Such famous ships as the Lusitania, the Mauretania, and the ill-fated Titanic were feted as possible contenders for the Blue Riband, the title given to the ship holding the record. But among the most famous record-holders was the Queen Mary, which held the record for fourteen years, but now stands encased in concrete at Long Beach, California, where it has been used for many years as a luxury hotel and tourist attraction.

With its Art Deco interiors and narrow corridors, this relic of days gone by is also the perfect setting for any number of movies; luminaries of stage and screen including Frank Sinatra, Monty Python’s Flying Circus’s Michael Palin, and Javier Bardem have all filmed on board. The latest movie to be set aboard the venerable old ship is The Queen Mary, a British horror film directed by Gary Shore. Here’s what we know so far.

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The Queen Mary: The Plot

     Paramount Pictures Releasing

Gary Shore’s only previous feature-length directorial credit was Dracula Untold, a 2014 horror that offered an origin story for Bram Stoker’s evergreen antagonist set in the late medieval era and was a box office success, despite mixed reviews.

The Queen Mary is also a period piece. It will feature a split narrative flitting back and forth between the ship’s heyday in the late 1930s and the present and tells the story of two families whose lives become violently entangled. The ship has a lengthy history of passengers (and, later, hotel guests) reporting seeing ghosts and visions in its rooms and on its decks, making it the perfect setting for paranormal goings-on on the big screen.

The Queen Mary: The Cast

     HBO

Co-starring in The Queen Mary are Alice Eve and Joel Fry. Alice Eve’s career has progressed from beginnings in British television to encompass comedy, literary drama, science fiction, period dramas, and horror. Fans of Star Trek will recognize her as Carol Marcus, the role originated by Bibi Besch in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), in 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness. However, prior credits included an appearance as a youthful Agent O in Men in Black 3 (2012); as a nanny in Sex and the City 2 (2010), and as Emily Hamilton, the lover of Edgar Allan Poe, in the gothic period thriller The Raven (2012).

More recent work has included a starring role opposite Matthew Broderick in the comedy-drama Dirty Weekend (2015), opposite Uma Thurman and Tim Roth in the heist comedy The Con Is On (2018), and the title role in Bees Make Honey, a 2017 dark comedy helmed by Eve’s director brother, Jack Eve. She is also due to appear alongside Academy Award nominee Toni Collette, Moana star Auli’i Cravalho, and Eddie Marsan (The World’s End, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell) in Prime’s The Power later this year in a recurring role.

Joel Fry, meanwhile, is best known to TV and movie fans for his work as Hizdahr zo Loraq in Game of Thrones. However, since the character’s demise Fry has been busy, appearing in a variety of supporting roles on television and film. Credits have included Paddington 2, Cruella, and Rocky, the roadie friend of guitarist-turned-superstar Jack in the Richard Curtis Beatles-themed romcom Yesterday. Early last year Fry also impressed in HBO’s swashbuckling pirate comedy Our Flag Means Death, which was renewed for a second season in the summer. His latest film, the post-apocalyptic drama The End We Start From, will see him appear opposite Benedict Cumberbatch, Killing Eve star Jodie Comer, and Mark Strong (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Kingsman: The Golden Circle), and is currently in production.

Playing the part of Captain Carradine is Jim Piddock. A veteran Hollywood character actor, Piddock’s previous credits include appearances as a British fighter pilot in Independence Day (1996) and the farmer Old George in The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising (2007), as well as bit parts in films including Meet the Spartans (2008) and Get Him to the Greek (2010), and extensive voice work in the Batman franchise, including as Batman’s butler Alfred Pennyworth.

Also appearing are Nell Hudson (Outlander, Texas Chainsaw Massacre), Tim Downie (Outlander, The King’s Speech), and child actor Lenny Rush in his debut film role.

Everything Else We Know

     Relativity Media

The Queen Mary has had a long gestation period, being announced back in 2013 by Variety before finally receiving the green light in 2019. Filming began in 2021, using an innovative technique whereby computer-generated backgrounds are mapped in real time onto a wraparound LED screen behind the actors. Production took place on board the Queen Mary herself in November of that year. A release date has yet to be announced.