Emma Thompson brings 'The Dead of Winter' to UK, Ireland shores

Emma Thompon is set to bring her talent to the action thriller The Dead of Winter, which has been picked up by Vertigo.

For the unversed, Vertigo Releasing has bought the United Kingdom and Irish rights to The Dead of Winter release, which had its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival earlier this month.

The film starring Thompson, the 66-year-old renowned British actress and screenwriter, is directed by Brian Kirk, known for Game of Thrones, Luther, and The Day of the Jackal. The Dead of Winter is Kirk’s first feature film since 21 Bridges, which premiered in 2019.

In the forthcoming movie, the Oscar-winning actress plays a widowed fisherwoman, Barb, who is stranded in a Minnesotan blizzard and inadvertently comes across the abduction of a teenage girl, for whom she turns out to be the only hope, and becomes a hero against the odds.

Jessica Kiang, a famous critic, wrote a review for Variety, stating, “‘The Dead of Winter’ entertains, largely due to Thompson’s sturdy portrait of grace clad in a sensible, fleece-lined overcoat of gumption.”

Vertigo Releasing’s head of acquisitions, Ed Caffrey, quipped, “We’re very excited to bring ‘The Dead of Winter’ to U.K. cinemas in September.”

“The combination of Emma Thompson’s powerhouse performance and Brian Kirk’s thrilling direction is a knockout,” he added.

It is pertinent to mention that Vertigo Releasing will drop The Dead of Winter in United Kingdom and Ireland cinemas on September 26, 2025. It's the same date when the film will be released in North America.