Academy Award ®, BAFTA nominee and SAG Award ensemble winner Isabella Rossellini (Conclave) will join previously announced Golden Globe winner Joan Collins in the upcoming film The Bitter End.
Directed by multi-award-winning director Mike Newell (Four Weddings and a Funeral) and penned by screenwriter and novelist Louise Fennell, the film charts the shocking untold story of the final years of Wallis Simpson, the American divorcee who became the Duchess of Windsor after marrying King Edward VIII, the British King who chose love over duty.
Rossellini will star as Suzanne Blum, the formidable French lawyer and confidante of Wallis Simpson (played by Collins) who at the hands of Blum found herself ensnared in a menacing grip of obsession and coercive control.
Fennell’s screenplay explores the chilling true story of the deeply complex and sinister relationship between Blum and Simpson and how as a result Wallis’s once-glamorous life spiralled into terror and desperation in the last years of her life.
Isabella Rossellini says,“I am absolutely thrilled to join the incomparable Joan Collins and the brilliant Mike Newell in bringing this extraordinary story back to life. Louise Fennell’s script allows us to delve into the complex and devastating relationship between these two iconic women, the profound impact they had on one another and their lasting mark on history.”
John Gore says, “I am truly thrilled and honoured that Isabella Rossellini will be joining Joan Collins in this remarkable story of the last days of The Duchess of Windsor. Isabella Rossellini possesses an immense and captivating talent, her ability to embody complex characters with depth and authenticity inspires audiences and elevates every story she tells. Attracting such a stellar cast is testament to the quality of this project. When you combine such great actors with Mike Newell’s vision and Louise Fennell’s gripping script, you achieve a recipe for something truly exciting. I am very proud that we get to tell this powerful, globally resonant story—one that reflects John Gore Studios’ commitment to creating captivating British films—about an American woman whose actions changed British history and continue to influence it to this day.”
The film will be produced by John Gore, Richard Holmes and Francis Hopkinson and executive produced by Hilary Strong, Michael Foster and Percy Gibson. Filming will take place in the UK and is set to begin May 2025. Further casting and key crew to be announced. Worldwide Sales will be handled by Embankment Films.
Isabella Rossellini has received critical acclaim for her work in Edward Berger’s CONCLAVE which recently won Best Film at the 2025 BAFTAS and the prestigious award for Best Motion Picture Cast at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
She also has a recurring role in Ryan Murphy’s Beauty. Additional credits include Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, La Chimera, Joy, Blue Velvet. Last winter, Rossellini toured over 30 cities in France with her one women show “Darwin’s Smile”.
She is represented by UTA and Wolf Kasteler.
Read more about John Gore Studios’ productions here.