Neil Marshall's next project Duchess is underway, featuring Charlotte Kirk as a petty criminal turned fighter within the world of diamond smuggling.

The first images from Neil Marshall's upcoming film Duchess show off a badass anti-heroine pulled into the dangerous world of diamond smuggling. Marshall is best known for directing the Game of Thrones episodes "Blackwater" and "The Watchers on the Wall", the cult horror films The Descent and Dog Soldiers, and 2019's Hellboy. Since 2020, the filmmaker has developed a close relationship with actress Charlotte Kirk, who played the lead in his 2020 supernatural horror film The Reckoning and his upcoming creature feature The Lair.

Marshall and Kirk will reunite once again in Duchess, and Variety has the exclusive first-look images courtesy of Cork Films. The photos highlight Kirk as the protagonist navigating a perilous new underground after an international smuggler (Philip Winchester) seduces her into his schemes. Kirk balances looking gritty and bloody, while Winchester exudes a suave coolness. Check out the exclusive images below:

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The photos also include Sean Pertwee (Gotham) and Spanish actor Bore Buika (Elite), who appear to be close associates of Winchester's character. Duchess, co-written by Marshall and Kirk, will be the actress's third subsequent leading role. Her name made headlines in 2019 after extramarital relationships with two Hollywood studio executives led to their dismissals. Her role as a working-class petty criminal who becomes a hardened killer in Duchess places the upcoming feature in the same camp as other stylish, female-led action films like Atomic Blonde. Marshall's eponymous heroine will have to deliver a fresh experience to avoid being just another female John Wick knockoff.

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Bart is a writer, podcaster, and filmmaker from Metro Detroit. He joined the Screen Rant Core News team in December 2021 and focuses on horror, sketch comedy series, cult films and TV, and Marvel properties. Along with writing for Screen Rant, Bart is an aspiring feature screenwriter, hosts the horror entertainment podcast Grave Discussions, is a crew member of southeast Michigan's Clean Slate Productions, and works full-time at one of the world's top advertising agencies. His podcast has been featured in Voyage Michigan Magazine and the Hamtramck Review, while his work with Clean Slate has garnered numerous local awards. When he isn't watching something or writing, Bart enjoys spending time with his girlfriend and their dog, Rupert, playing video games, reading, and playing disc golf.