EXCLUSIVE: Jodie Whittaker will star in and exec produce The Country, a role-reversal short film from filmmaker Ella Grace Kennedy. The cast of the dystopian thriller short also features Eoin McCaul, Anna Popplewell (The Chronicles of Narnia) and Jake Kenny-Byrne (Miss Austen).

The Country tackles bodily autonomy, oppression and control through the lens of an extremist religious commune, the producers told Deadline. Set in a role reversed society, the film depicts a seventeen-year-old Aaron (McCaul) struggling under rigid laws imposed upon the male body, and as doubt begins to creep into his belief system.

Broadchurch and Doctor Who star Whittaker said: “When I first read Ella’s script I was completely blown away; it’s like nothing I have ever read. She has such a daring, unique voice, I couldn’t wait to be a part of this project.”

The genre film, from Shy Billy Productions, is produced by Charlotte Brownlee, who works out of House Productions (Conclave), and whose credits include The Crown and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. “Ella’s vision offers a powerful, provocative lens through which to explore the urgent social issues of bodily autonomy and reproductive rights,” she said.

Kennedy writes and directs. “This film was born from a need to explore themes of bodily autonomy and the systems that enforce control over it,” she said. “By placing men at the center of this world, I wanted to create a perspective shift that forces audiences to confront how terrifying and dehumanizing these realities are, while directly reflecting the experiences that women continue to face today.”

The filmmaker is, meanwhile, currently developing a horror feature film project called Home, with Anton.