Release date for Helen Mirren film shot in Yorkshire is announced

The Duke is a comedy-drama which tells the true story of Kempton Bunton, a 60-year old taxi driver who stole Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London.

Shortly after the high-profile heist in 1961, he left a note saying the painting would be returned if the government invested more in care for elderly people.

Film production company Pathé has announced The Duke, which was shot in Leeds, Bradford and London, is due to be released in UK cinemas on September 3.

It was made with investment from Screen Yorkshire and stars Academy Award winners Jim Broadbent, who plays Mr Bunton, and Helen Mirren, who portrays his wife Dorothy.

The cast also includes Dunkirk star Fionn Whitehead, Matthew Goode and Anna Maxwell Martin.

The film was directed by BAFTA Award Winner Roger Michel and the script was written by Richard Bean and Clive Coleman.

Screen Yorkshire says The Duke is a “moving true story that celebrates a man who was determined to live a meaningful life”.

It premiered at the 77th Venice Film Festival in September 2020 and Pathé plans to distribute the film in the UK, France and Switzerland.

Last year, the Covid-19 pandemic shut down almost every production in Yorkshire, but dozens restarted after restrictions were eased in July 2020 and the government agreed to cover some coronavirus-related losses as part of a insurance £500m scheme.

Screen Yorkshire has helped 36 major feature film and TV productions get up and running since July 2020, including the second series of Gentleman Jack, Channel 5 drama Anne Boleyn and the second series of All Creatures Great and Small.