THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEE (2025): Searchlight Set to Release Ambitious Dramatic Film Showcasing Amanda Seyfried’s Oscar Bait Role

Amanda Seyfried Drama Sets Release Date

Amanda Seyfried‘s new movie, The Testament of Ann Lee, has secured a release date of December 25th and will be released in 70 MM prints.

Amanda Seyfried officially enters a crowded Best Actress field with the December 25th release of her new dramatic film, The Testament of Ann Lee. In the fact-based movie, Seyfried serves as the Ann Lee in the title and the character she plays was the founder of “the Shaker Movement.” Last year, the studio releasing the film had a big hit, A Complete Unknown, and the studio is probably banking on the new Seyfried movie to play well with an eventual (hopefully) Oscar nod for Seyfried’s extremely well-received performance. Also starring in the two hour-plus dramatic film is Thomasin McKenzie as Mary.

Seyfried is also going to be starring in the new thriller, The Housemaid, which opens December 19th which is about a week before her aforementioned Oscar bait project opens. In The Housemaid, Seyfried plays with Sydney Sweeney in a thriller that is sure to have audiences on the edge of their seats, judging from the suspenseful trailer. While The Housemaid will most likely be a hit at the box-office, The Testament of Ann Lee should score a higher per screen average and play more successfully to art house audiences than general ones.

Consequently, Sweeney will have a new Oscar bait project around the same time as Seyfried’s as well. Seyfried is playing in the boxing drama, Christy, which received a nice review from us here at FilmBook. If Sweeney and Seyfried both make it into the Best Actress race, that would leave just one other spot to fill. Virtually guaranteed Oscar nominations for Best Actress are Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You) and Jessie Buckley (Hamnet).

Searchlight is taking a considerable gamble on The Testament of Ann Lee given its heavy subject matter. As the female representation of Christ, Seyfried is said to deliver a skilled performance which could be the highlight of her distinguished career. While she starred in comedies and dramas in almost equal distribution, Seyfried had only rarely entered into the equation for Oscar races before except maybe when she played a dramatic supporting turn in the superb Paul Schrader film, First Reformed. She didn’t get a nod for that one, but eventually received a supporting actress Oscar nomination for her work in the acclaimed black and white 2020 movie, Mank. This year’s Searchlight release would mark the first leading Oscar nod for the actress if it happens and there is said to be a good deal of promise that it will.

Leave your thoughts on the Christmas release of The Testament of Ann Lee in 70 MM by Searchlight below in the comments section. Readers seeking to support this type of content can visit our Patreon Page and become one of FilmBook’s patrons. Readers seeking more movie news can visit our Movie News Page, our Movie News Twitter Page, and our Movie News Facebook Page. Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Mobile App, Google News, Apple News, Feedly, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, Reddit, Telegram, Mastodon, Flipboard, Bluesky, and Threads. This news was brought to our attention by Deadline.