‘Mr. Malcolm’s List’ Will Satisfy Your ‘Bridgerton’ Withdrawals

For those of you experiencing Bridgerton withdrawals, the new period drama Mr. Malcolm’s List is officially upon us.

Directed by Emma Holly Jones, the feature film stars British-Nigerian actor Ṣọpẹ́ Dirisu as the titular Mr. Malcolm, who is having trouble finding the perfect wife, so he makes a list of all the attributes that his said wife must possess. Classic!

The film will stars Zawe Ashton in the lead role of Julia Thistlewaite, who finds out about the list and recruits her friend Selina Dalton (Frieda Pinto) to get revenge. They orchestrate a plan where Julia makes sure that Selina meets every requirement on Mr. Malcolm’s list, before pulling the rug from under him.

As you can imagine, people’s actual feelings then begin to enter the fray, and the three find themselves in a bit of a love triangle.

Mr. Malcolm’s List was originally made into an 11-minute short film by Refinery29 back in 2019, staring Gemma Chan, Ṣọpẹ́ Dirisu, and Freida Pinto, so it looks most of the cast are making their return for the upcoming feature film, alongside newcomers Theo James (The White Lotus) and Ashley Park (Emily In Paris).

And while the film’s multiethnic cast will inevitably draw comparisons to Bridgerton, director Emma Holly Jones says her decision to cast people of colour in the film came after being inspired by seeing Hamilton on Broadway. This means that both the short film — which was shot in 2018, and predates Bridgerton — and the film, features people of colour in a period setting.

However, Mr. Malcom’s List will reportedly not involve what is sometimes referred to as colourblind casting, with people of colour playing parts meant for white actors.

“I was conscious of not colour-washing the story,” Dìrísù said in an interview with Vanity Fair. “I didn’t want this to just be a white character played by a person of colour. I wanted him to feel like a real, lived-in person.”

Similarly, Pinto researched the South Asian community in England at the time and tweaked bits of dialogue accordingly, with the film adding “hints of paisley” to her wardrobe as a tribute to her Indian roots.

Mr. Malcom’s List will hit cinemas in July 2022. Watch the 2019 short film below.