Ralph Fiennes to star in Henry Cecil racehorse trainer biopic

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 22 Oct, 08:32 · Archive

Ralph Fiennes will star in a biopic about legendary Newmarket racehorse trainer Sir Henry Cecil.

Ralph Fiennes will star in and serve as executive producer for a new biopic about Sir Henry Cecil, the legendary Newmarket racehorse trainer. The film will explore Cecil's life and his connection with the unbeaten racehorse Frankel, as well as examining both his professional successes and personal struggles.

The film will be directed by BAFTA winner Nora Fingscheidt, with a screenplay by Bash Doran. Fiennes said he knew nothing about Cecil until reading Doran's screenplay, but was 'compelled and moved by it and by Henry's story with the great horse Frankel'. He described Cecil as 'a unique figure, complex and competitive in the very specific world of horse racing'.

Sir Henry Cecil, who died in June 2013, was a ten-time champion trainer whose life was marked by personal battles with health, heartbreak and controversy. This is the second time Fiennes has played a Suffolk figure; in 2021 he starred in The Dig as archaeologist Basil Brown.

How it is being reported

• BAFTA-winning Suffolk actor to star in biopic about prolific county horse trainerRalph Fiennes will star in a new biopic about legendary Newmarket racehorse trainer Sir Henry Cecil.Ipswich Star · 22 Oct, 08:18
• BAFTA-winning Suffolk actor to star in biopic about prolific county horse trainerRalph Fiennes will star in a new biopic about legendary Newmarket racehorse trainer Sir Henry Cecil.East Anglian Daily Times · 22 Oct, 08:18

In this story: Ralph Fiennes · Sir Henry Cecil · Nora Fingscheidt · Bash Doran · Frankel · Newmarket · Suffolk · Ipswich

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem