The official theatrical release date for Kate Winslet’s World War II-era drama, Lee, has been released. Based on the life of famed war correspondent Elizabeth “Lee” Miller, the movie is adapted from the book about her wartime exploits and co-stars the likes of Andy Samberg and Andrea Riseborough.
Rumblings that Lee Miller’s life would be turned into a motion picture began in 2015, when Ellen Kuras came across a book that covered her wartime work. She was struck by the physical similarities between the war correspondent and Kate Winslet, and this prompted her to send a copy to the actress, who became enamored with the idea of developing a movie about Miller’s life.
“Lee was a woman who lived her life on her terms,” Winslet told Vogue in 2023. “I wanted to tell the story of a flawed middle-aged woman who went to war and documented it.”
Winslet subsequently approached Kuras about directing the project, and by 2022, several big-name actors had signed on to the project, which began filming in Europe that September. Work came to a pause shortly after when the actress suffered an injury on set, but it soon restarted and wrapped up in December 2022.
Lee Miller got her start in photography, with her father introducing her to the medium at a young age. When she was 19, she met Condé Nast, the publisher of Vogue, who helped launch her modeling career. She subsequently moved into photography herself, setting up a studio in New York City with her brother.
Life took Miller around the world until the outbreak of World War II. When the conflict began, she was residing in Britain with Roland Penrose. Renewing her connection with Vogue, she became a photojournalist, tasked with documenting the Blitz for the magazine. By December 1942, she was an accredited war correspondent with the US Army, covering the conflict for Condé Nast Publications.
Throughout the conflict, Miller covered many key events, including the aftermath of the D-Day landings, the inhumane activities that took place at Dachau and Buchenwald, the first use of napalm at St. Malo and the liberation of Paris. Speaking about her wartime work, she once said she aimed to “document war as historical evidence” and to provide “context for events,” often from an eye-witness point of view.
As aforementioned, Kate Winslet, best known for her roles in Titanic (1997) and Finding Neverland (2004), will be portraying Lee Miller in the film. She also served as producer on the project, alongside Kate Solomon, Lauren Hantz, Troy Lum, Andrew Mason and Marie Savare.
Several other journalists and war correspondents from the era are also given the spotlight in the movie, with Marion Cotillard playing Solange d’Ayen and Andrea Riseborough taking on the role of Audrey Withers. Andy Samberg portrays photojournalist David Scherman.
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Lee had its worldwide premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September 2023. It’s slated to debut in American theaters on September 20, 2024.