Alexander Skarsgård in the final season of ‘Succession’

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Alexander Skarsgård has signed on to co-star alongside Harry Melling (The Pale Blue Eye) in Pillion, a new feature from Poor Things producers Element Pictures being pitched as a “fun and filthy romance with heart.”

Harry Lighton, who directed the BAFTA-nominated short Wren Boys, will direct Pillion from his own script, which is inspired by Adam Mars-Jones’ 2019 novel Box Hill. Cornerstone is handling worldwide sales on the films and will pitch the project to buyers at the Cannes film market next week.

Melling plays Colin, a weedy wallflower who is letting life pass him by until he meets Ray (Skarsgård), an impossibly handsome leader of a motorbike club, who him on as his submissive. Ray uproots Colin from his dreary suburban life and introduces him to a community of kinky, queer bikers, but as Colin dives deeper into Ray’s world, he begins to question whether the life of a 24/7 submissive is really for him.

Picturehouse Entertainment and September Films have picked up the film for the U.K. and Benelux, respectively. BBC Films and the BFI are backing the project. Lighton’s screenplay was developed with BBC Film.

Element Pictures’ Emma Norton, Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe will produce together with Lee Groombridge. Skarsgård is executive producing alongside BBC Film’s Eva Yates, Picturehouse’s Claire Binns and September Films’ Pim Hermeling. Louise Ortega is the BFI’s executive for the project. Pillion is set to begin principal photography in the U.K. this summer.

Melling is represented by Curtis Brown and Lucy Popkin at Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher. Skarsgård is represented by CAA and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush, Kaller, Gellman, Meigs & Fox.