James Norton, Thomasin McKenzie in first look at IVF pioneers story on Netflix
Joy is penned by Jack Thorne and Rachel Mason and tells the true story of Jean Purdy, Patrick Steptoe and Robert Edwards.
Netflix has released a first look at upcoming original film Joy – which tells the true story behind the ground-breaking birth of Louise Joy Brown, the world’s first 'test-tube-baby'.
The film is scripted by Rachel Mason and Jack Thorne and is told from the perspective of Jean Purdy (played by Last Night in Soho's Thomasin McKenzie), a young nurse and embryologist who played a pioneering role in the development of in vitro fertilisation (IVF).
McKenzie is joined in the cast by Bill Nighy as surgeon Patrick Steptoe and James Norton as scientist Robert Edwards, the two men with whom Purdy joined forces to unlock the puzzle of infertility.
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According to a synopsis, the film "celebrates the power of perseverance and the wonders of science as it follows this maverick trio of visionaries who overcame tremendous odds and opposition to realise their dream, and in doing so allowed millions of people to dream with them".
In the teaser trailer, we get a first look at all three main characters, with Purdy seen addressing a room of women and saying: "Without you, none of this works."
Later, Steptoe adds, "What we're doing, it matters", while we see various snippets of their research, the results and the press attention that followed.
You can watch the 30-second clip in full below:
Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press at last week's Next on Netflix UK event, Thorne described the film as as "extraordinary story".
He said: "I think when people think about scientific innovations, they have a vision of how it's done. You know, it's in a lab with lots of people in white coats and generally [in] Oxford, this story is entirely different from that."
Thorne explained that the story spans the decade between 1968 and 1978, telling the story of Edwards, Purdy and Steptoe as they "worked together despite the whole world being against them to try and bring up the story of infertility".
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Mason added that the story was "very personal" to her and Thorne, who are a married couple and themselves "went through IVF".
"It's a journey that we went through and you know, one in six people are affected by infertility and people don't realise it was pioneered here," she said. "But I think it's that mix of it being very personal and people don't realise the trio that were involved, it was their perseverance."
She added: "And also Jean has not been recognised, so it's such an important story, and 12 million babies have been born through IVF, so yes, life changing."
Joy is coming soon to Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
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