Leo Woodall, Clémence Poésy to Star in A Waiter in Paris

Leo Woodall continues to cement his status as one of the U.K.’s most in-demand actors since breaking out in “The White Lotus.”

The “One Day” and “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy” star has now been set as the lead alongside co-star Clémence Poésy (“The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon,” “King and Conqueror”) in “A Waiter in Paris,” the feature debut of double BAFTA TV Award winner and Emmy Award-nominated director Peter Hoar (“The Last of Us,” “It’s a Sin”).

BBC Film and Curzon, Cineart and Madman are on board as key financiers for the project, which has already been pre-sold to Curzon for the U.K., Cineart in Benelux and Madman in Australia. Cornerstone will launch sales at Cannes and will co-rep the U.S. with WME Independent.

“A Waiter in Paris” is adapted by Ben Hopkins (“Fuze,” “Limonov: The Ballad of Eddie”) from the memoir of the same name by Edward Chisholm, which is published by Monoray and has sold over 100,000 copies, worldwide.

The story follows “L’Anglais” — depressed, over-educated, and about to turn thirty — who arrives in Paris and resolves to prove himself in the city of his dreams by joining the sharp-suited brotherhood of Parisian waiters. What follows is intoxicating: nights spilling from the glamorous-looking brasserie into the streets of Bastille, love, lust, and the exhilarating sense of belonging to the coolest gang in town. But behind the façade of fine dining lies a world of exploitation and precarity, and as tensions rise among the staff, L’Anglais’ glittering new life begins to crack.

“Leo has a wonderful presence on screen and a compelling capacity to hold emotion beneath the surface which feel essential for a character who spends so much of his life performing for others while concealing his own internal struggles,” said Hoar. “He will capture the contradictions of the role beautifully. The charm and detachment, precision and fatigue, hope and disillusionment. Watching him inhabit this world you will feel both the weight of the endeavour and the quiet resilience required to endure it.”

“A Waiter in Paris” is produced by former film critic Jason Solomons at Movie Love Productions and Phin Glynn (“Argentina,” “1985,” “Glenrothan”) The project was developed with BBC Film with the support of the collaborative development fund of Curzon, Cineart and Madman (Curzon CM Development Fund). The film will shoot on location in Paris, with Full Dawa Films providing production services.

“From the moment I saw the jacket cover of Edward Chisholm’s ‘A Waiter in Paris,’ I knew there was a great movie bursting to get out of the pages,” said Solomons. “What a thrill to have this cast and this film making team bringing my first feature film to life. It has been a bewildering but totally beautiful experience getting to this point and I’m proud that this is exactly the sort of film I’d be excited about in my former role as a journalist. So, I can’t wait to get filming in Paris — what a dream! — and then share it with audiences and, yes, even with film critics.”

Added Cornerstone’s Alison Thompson and Mark Gooder: “’A Waiter in Paris’ throws us right into the intoxicating world of Parisian food culture through the eyes of an Englishman. With Peter Hoar at the helm and the always charismatic Leo Woodall in the lead we are confident this will be a compelling proposition for buyers in Cannes”

Woodall is represented by Anonymous Content, B-Side Management, Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher and Shelter PR, Poésy by Agence Artisique Adéquat and Hoar by Curtis Brown/WME.

Cornerstone’s current slate includes horror feature “When Darkness Loves Us,” Bijan Sheibani’s “The Arrival,” Theo Rhys’ feature debut “Stuffed,” Simon Bird’s “Pretend I’m Not Here,” and Mike Leigh’s latest feature, which has now been given the title “Tender Loving Care.”