The Bitter End has got quite a bit of publicity recently when Joan Collins announced that she was to play American socialite Wallis Simpson, who in the 1930s had an affair with King Edward VIII when he was Prince of Wales, which led to his abdication as monarch and a constitutional crisis in Britain in 1936. This film charts the untold story of the final years of Wallis Simpson.
Edward married divorcee "Mrs Simpson" who became the Duchess of Windsor but the pair became outcasts from the royal family for many years, with Edward, Duke of Windsor, dying in Paris in 1972, and the Duchess passing away aged 89 in their Paris home 14 years later in 1986. Hollywood superstar Joan Collins, most famous for playing Alexis Colby/Carrington in Dynasty, will be playing the Duchess in her final years and she's very excited about the project.
"I’m delighted to be playing #wallissimpson the #duchessofwindsor in an untold story about her final years, to start shooting soon in London and Paris (see her Instagram post below),"' Joan recently revealed on Instagram (see post below).
So here's everything you need to know about The Bitter End...
The Bitter End release date
The Bitter End starts filming in 2025, so we're not expecting to see the movie until the end of 2025 or 2026. We'll be updating here as soon as we know and if the movie is coming to a streaming service such as Prime Video, Netflix or Apple TV Plus.
The Bitter End plot
So far all we know of the plot of The Bitter End is that it shows the scandalous romance between an American socialite and British royalty leads to a historic abdication, but decades later, the Duchess of Windsor faces unexpected challenges in her twilight years. So it seems the action will swap between the 1930s and the 1980s, with Joan Collins as the elderly Wallis reflecting on her life and love!
The Bitter End cast — Joan Collins as Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor
In The Bitter End Joan Collins is playing the elderly Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor, towards the end of her life in Paris in the 1980s when she was infirm and virtually bedridden. Joan announced the role on Instagram (see below)
* Joan Collins is a Hollywood movie star with films such as Valley of the Kings, The Stud (see below) and The Bitch to her name. But it was playing Alexis Colby in Dynasty in the 1980s that gave her a global audience and mega-stardom.
Isabella Rossellini
Isabella Rossellini has been announced as starring in The Bitter End by Joan Collins on Instagram in February 2025 (see above), declaring how wonderful it was to have Isabella play her on-screen rival so we can only speculate for now that Isabella Rossellini plays Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, aka the Queen Mother, who didn't have time at all for Wallis after her affair with Edward became public. She was pivotal in the royal family having little to do with the Windsors after King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II became monarchs.
* Isabella Rossellini is an Italian actress who is the daughter of Hollywood superstar Ingrid Bergman and the director Roberto Rossellini. Her previous films include Death Becomes Her, A Matter of Time and Blue Velvet. She recently played a nun in the 2024 movie Conclave and she played brothel owner Balbina in the ancient Rome series Domina.
Who else is starring in The Bitter End?
Other cast for The Bitter End has yet to be announced but we can't wait to see who plays King Edward VIII and other members of the royal family. Do check back as we'll be updating everything here.
Is there a trailer?
It's far too early for a trailer for The Bitter End but as soon as one arrives we'll be posting here.
Behind the scenes and more on The Bitter End
The Bitter End is directed by multi-award-winning director Mike Newell (“Four Weddings and a Funeral”) and penned by screenwriter and novelist Louise Fennell.
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