By a Front Row Featuers Staff Reporter

BBC Worldwide North America has acquired U.S. rights to “London Road,” the film adaptation of the groundbreaking National Theatre play of the same name.  The film stars an ensemble cast including Academy Award nominee Tom Hardy (“The Revenant”), Olivia Colman (“The Iron Lady”) and Anita Dobson (“The Rise of the Krays”). The debut film by writer Alecky Blythe, with music by Adam Cork and lyrics by Alecky Blythe and Adam Cork, it is directed by Rufus Norris (“Broken”).

“London Road” also features the play’s original cast members, Clare Burt (“Broken”), Rosalie Craig (“The Vote”), James Doherty (“Backbeat”) and Kate Fleetwood (“Philomena”).

The drama revolves around true events that occurred in 2006, when the town of Ipswich was shattered by the discovery of the bodies of five women. The residents of London Road had struggled for years with frequent soliciting and “curb-crawling” on their street. When a local resident was charged, and then convicted, of the murders, the community grappled with what it meant to be at the epicenter of this tragedy. Using their own words set to an innovative musical score, the film tells a moving story of ordinary people coming together during the darkest of experiences. The stage production was an overnight hit and earned five-star reviews when it premiered at the National Theatre in 2011.  It returned to the stage in 2012 for a sold-out run.

“‘London Road’ offers a rare lyrical interpretation of true events with a fantastic ensemble cast including Tom Hardy and Olivia Colman,” said Soumya Sriraman, executive vice president of Franchise and Digital Enterprises for BBC Worldwide North America, in a statement. “While the film deals with a difficult subject, it also illustrates the resilience of a community coming together under extraordinary circumstances.”

Executive Producer David Sabel added, “We are thrilled that BBC Worldwide North America will be bringing London Road to American audiences.  This remarkable story, which began in a small town in England, is about a community in its most universal sense and has resonated with audiences from its first life as a stage production to its much wider reach through this innovative film.”