Principal photography has commenced on comedy drama Country Music, starring Jessie Buckley and BAFTA Award winning and two time Oscar nominee Julie Walters, it was announced today by producer Faye Ward of Fable Pictures.

Oscar-nominated and Tony Award-winning actress Sophie Okonedo (Hotel Rwanda), who has just come off the West End production of Edward Albee’s The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia, and James Harkness (Rogue One, Macbeth) have also joined the cast. BAFTA Award nominee Tom Harper (War & Peace, Peaky Blinders) is directing the feature film from a script by Nicole Taylor (The C Word, Three Girls).

Shooting in Glasgow, Scotland and Nashville, Tennessee, Entertainment One (eOne) secured worldwide rights to the project.

Country Music is funded by the BFI and Creative Scotland with National Lottery money and Film4, all of whom developed the film with Fable Pictures. Faye Ward produces for Fable Pictures with Eugenio Perez as co-producer. Producers include Natascha Wharton for the BFI, Leslie Finlay for Creative Scotland, Polly Stokes for Film4 and Xavier Marchand for Moonriver Content.

Harlan (Jessie Buckley) is bursting with raw talent, charisma and cheek. Fresh out of jail and with two young kids, all she wants is to get out of Glasgow and make it as a country singer. Her mum Marion (Julie Walters) has had a bellyful of Rose-Lynn’s Nashville nonsense. Forced to take responsibility, Rose-Lynn gets a cleaning job, only to find an unlikely champion in the middle-class lady of the house (Sophie Okonedo). A comedy drama about mothers and daughters, dreams and reality, and three chords and the truth.

The film showcases country music from two continents. Rose-Lynn’s band is led by UK folk royalty Neill McColl, and features Scottish music legends, and founders of The Transatlantic Sessions, Aly Bain and Phil Cunningham. “Whispering” Bob Harris, whose BBC Radio 2 show has made him an ambassador for country music in the UK for more than 40 years, will also appear in the film. Alongside an exciting selection of classic and modern country music, the soundtrack features an original song written by platinum-selling singer songwriter Caitlyn Smith, Oscar-winning actress Mary Steenburgen and Kate York.

“Nicole Taylor has written a cracking script, full of energy and charm. Her witty dialogue will have you in stitches but at its heart, this is a moving, universal story about roots and dreams. Jessie Buckley is a revelation in the lead role and I can’t wait for audiences to hear her sing," said producer Faye Ward.

“Nicole has written the most wonderful script: hugely entertaining, sharp, funny and with something to say about the way we live today. I am thrilled to be bringing it to life with such an exceptional team of people,” said director Tom Harper.