Sony Pictures Classics will release the golf dramedy The Phantom of the Open, starring Academy Award^® winner  Mark Rylance, Sally Hawkins, and Rhys Ifans. The heartwarming true story is directed by filmmaker and BAFTA^® Cymru Award winning actor Craig Roberts with the screenplay adapted by Simon Farnaby from his own book The Phantom of the Open, co-authored by Scott Murray.

The Phantom of the Open follows Maurice Flitcroft (Mark Rylance), a dreamer and unrelenting optimist who managed to gain entry to The British Open Golf Championship Qualifying in 1976 and subsequently shot the worst round in Open history, becoming a folk hero in the process.

The film marks a continued artistic relationship between Hawkins and Roberts; the pair previously worked together on Roberts’ 2019 directorial debut, Eternal Beauty, and both starred in Richard Ayoade’s 2010 coming-of-age film Submarine.

Sony Pictures Classics said of the film, “A jaw-dropping true story. We know audiences will be delighted by this underdog tale, brought to life by director Craig Roberts with the incomparable Mark Rylance and Sally Hawkins, comedic and humane, both at career peak.”

Craig Roberts added, “I’m extremely grateful that SPC share our love for Maurice and his wonderful story. They are the perfect fit for this project. I’m very proud of what our cast and crew have created. I hope that Maurice’s superpowers make the world a better place.”