‘The Secret Garden,’ Starring Colin Firth, Set To Be Released by Sky in the U.K. and on Sky Cinema

Sky, the Comcast-owned U.K. broadcaster and telecommunications company, has acquired the rights to The Secret Garden from Studiocanal. The TV giant announced on Tuesday that it plans to release the film on its Sky Cinema service and in cemas across the U.K. and Ireland on Oct. 23.

Based on the classic children’ novel of the same name by Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden was directed by Marc Munden (National Treasure) and written by Jack Thorne (Wonder, Radioactive). David Heyman, behind the Harry Potter and Paddington franchises, and Rosie Alison (Paddington) produced the movie adaptation, which stars Dixie Egerickx, Colin Firth and Julie Walters. The film will be rebranded as a Sky Original.

The Secret Garden follows the life of Mary Lennox (Egerickx), a 10-year-old girl sent to England to live with her uncle Archibald Craven (Firth), under the sharp eye of Mrs. Medlock (Walters). With only the kind and good-natured household maidm Martha (Isis Davis) for company, Mary explores her new surroundings and begins to uncover many family secrets. One of these secrets, she discovers, is her cousin Colin (Edan Hayhurst), who is unwell and thus has been shut away in a hidden room within the house.

“At Sky, we want to showcase the very best films and we’re thrilled to provide The Secret Garden with the perfect home on Sky Cinema,” Sarah Wright, Director of Sky Cinema and Acquisitions at Sky U.K. & Ireland, said. “With award winning talent on and off scream our customers are in for a real treat. We’re proud to give The Secret Garden the big audience it deserves this autumn.”

STX obtained the film for North America, and it will also be available on Sky’s streaming service Now TV via the Sky Cinema Pass.