The Last Of Us and Game Of Thrones star Bella Ramsey is set to take on the role of a British terrorist in a new film project titled Girl Next Door.
Ramsey will play Sherafiyah Lewthwaite, who is also known as the White Widow. She is one of the West’s most wanted terrorism suspects.
The film is inspired by the true story of “a 21 year old suburban mother of two who became radicalized. Lewthwaite, the widow of a 7/7 London terrorist bomber, is accused of causing the deaths of more than 400 people. She is a fugitive from justice in Kenya, where she is wanted on charges of possession of explosives.”
The film project comes from writer and director Bruce Goodison (Black Cab), who said in a statement: “This film is about a young life-affirming idealist with a broken heart.
“Sam turns her grief into a strength that was then exploited by men for purposes of global terror. I just didn’t believe the hype – was Sam really the terrorist mastermind the press and anti-terror police would have us believe, or was there another truth? Her truth.
He added: “I’ve written an unsettling mystery that asks how it might feel if the person you love and expect to share a life with goes out one day and commits an act of terror that challenges everything you hold dear.
“Sam goes on an odyssey that both consumes her and alters her. Little by little she is isolated and radicalised and it could be argued this was as a result of being rejected by us.
“A lot of my work is research based and in preparation for this film I have had access to Sam’s personal diary that she started to write after the bombing, I spoke to family members and the ‘adopted’ family that inspired her Muslim conversion, Nikki, the other woman, ‘Sheikh’ Faisal, the security services, plus the Sun journalist who she denounced Germaine’s actions to.
“The film is unapologetically from Sam’s perspective – anyone playing Sam needs to be fearless. Bella Ramsey is the perfect fit. Bellawill bring heart, life and complexity to this role.”
This seems like a challenging role for any actor to take on and I’m sure Ramsey will deliver a solid performance. The project is set to shoot in October 2024.
Source: Deadline
