First look at Madonna's directorial debut

Her acting skills haven't exactly gone down well with film critics in the past few years, but now Madonna is hoping to redeem herself with her directorial debut, W.E.
In the first look pictures of the £18million romantic drama, which stars Made In Dagenham actress Andrea Riseborough as Wallis Simpson, the film looks arty, romantic and beautiful.
The movie, which also stars Abbie Cornish and James Fox, is described as a two-tier romantic drama, looking at both the affair between King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson and the modern relationship between a Russian security guard and a married woman.

First look: Abbie Cornish stars as Wally in Madonna's directorial debut W.E., due for release later this year

Arty: The black and white shots released of the film suggest the movie is quite romantic in its tone

Talking about the film recently, Madonna said: 'W.E. is about the nature of true love, and the sacrifices and compromises that are often made.
'I've wanted to tell this story for a very long time, and bringing it to life has been a great adventure for me.'
However, while the movie is undoubtedly one of the most highly-anticipated of the year, the reaction at preview screenings recently weren't entirely positive.

Monochrome: James D'Arcy and Andrea Riseborough also star in the highly-anticipated film

Romantic: Madonna said recently the movie is 'about the adventure of true love'

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The Daily Mail's Alison Boshoff was told that distributor Harvey Weinstein was observed looking ‘thunderous’ and ‘sour’ as the audience marked their scores on approval index cards at the screening.
A source at the screening said: 'It’s not a complete embarrassment for Madonna, and some of the sequences are spectacular, but some key elements are never explained,’ said my source at the screening last week.

‘It’s all about a woman, Wally, who is obsessed with Wallis Simpson, but we never find out why she cares about her in the first place.
‘The script is really very so-so. It tries to suggest that Wallis Simpson gave up a lot to be with Edward in 1936, particularly her chance to have children, but the idea is never developed. It’s all about the surface and the styling.

'There’s no real narrative, and no heart.’
Weinstein is now apparently re-editing the movie ahead of it's premiere at the Venice Film Festival next month. The movie is due for general release in December.

At the helm: Madonna was spotted on the set of the film in London earlier this year