Emma Corrin, Felicity Jones and Maika Monroe in Julia Jackman's '100 Nights of Hero.' Alex Rusu /(C) IFC Films /Courtesy Everett Collection Felicity Jones didn't realize she wanted to play a moon. "People really underestimate fun," begins the Oscar-nominated actress, whose upcoming performance in Julia Jackman's 100 Nights of Hero is a whimsical and joyous departure from her recent portrayals on screen (see: The Brutalist and Train Dreams). "The most powerful stories are often the most entertaining," she continues. "Julia has managed to do that amazing trick of combining those things, which is a very, very difficult thing to pull off." Ahead of this past Friday's release of Jackman's sophomore feature film, the director and her stars Felicity Jones and Maika Monroe sat down with The Hollywood Reporter to unpack the making of 100 Nights, a visually stunning fantasy set in a fairytale kingdom and adapted from Isabel Greenberg's graphic novel of the same name. Related Stories Business AMC Theatres Raises $24.1 Million From Sale of Most of Its Stake in Gold, Silver Mining Company TV 'It: Welcome to Derry' Co-Creators Tease "Heartbreaking" End to Season It follows Longlegs star Monroe as the prim and proper Cherry, happily married to Jerome (Amir El-Masry) and living a seemingly idyllic life. But the couple have yet to conceive an heir, so when Jerome absconds and his dashing friend Manfred (Nicholas Galitzine) arrives with dastardly intentions, Hero (Emma Corrin), Cherry's wily and loyal maid, is forced to concoct a plan to distract Manfred by telling captivating stories about rebellious women (including popstar Charli XCX, who has a supporting role as an ill-treated bride). Over the course of 100 nights, Hero's stories lure Manfred away from Cherry's bed chamber, leaving him in a not-so-threatening dream-like state. As aforementioned, Jones stars as Moon, a part as connotative as it is eccentric. "I was almost a little sad because I put this script in a drawer during the pandemic for a little bit, and when you take something out again and you haven't looked at it for a while, you wonder if it's going to feel a bit stale," says Bonus Track director Jackman about the aptness of her patriarchy-bucking story. "It was exciting, but also a little bit of a bum-out to be like, 'Ah, nope. Still relevant.' Maybe even more relevant." The movie had its world premiere in Venice and later closed the London Film Festival. Critics have praised the cast's wonderfully quirky performances, as well as the endlessly impressive costuming and makeup; THR's Leslie Felperin said the work of costume designer Susie Coulthard and hair and makeup creative Natasha Lawes "deserve pre-title billing." Jackman, Jones and Monroe get into all of the above and more in a discussion about their fantastical fairytale film. They talk about working with Brat architect Charli XCX, why Scream Queen Monroe craved a dabble in fantasy and why this feminist flick is for everyone: "It was important to me to show no one is having a good time. Men are trapped as well. No one's living their best life when we suppress any part of society." Julia, this is your sophomore feature. What drew you to this story? Do you remember reading Isabel's graphic novel - and what impact did it have on you? JULIA JACKMAN I definitely do. I actually read Isabel's graphic novel when I was not a professional filmmaker at all. I think it was 2016 [or] 2017 when it first came out, and a friend had just said it was cool. I really thought, 'Oh, God, someone should make a film about this one day. I love this.' It's so funny. It transports you to another world. I love the mythology and the fairytale aspects. And then when I started making films, I worked up the courage to approach Isabel - because I thought maybe that someone could be me - and she and I clicked, and it was the two of us for a little while, and then these [gesturing to Jones, Monroe] brilliant guys came on board, and our lovely producer and cast. 100 Nights of Hero is about the power of storytelling, but specifically between women and how, in passing those stories on, it becomes an act of resistance. It's that brilliant intersection of feminism and queerness. These messages are really important right now, given the current state of the world and with democracy feeling so precarious. Does that ring true to any of you? JACKMAN I was almost a little sad because I put this script in a drawer during the pandemic for a little bit - because it wasn't going to be a first feature and it was quite ambitious - and when you take something out again and you haven't looked at it for a while, you wonder if it's going to feel a bit stale. It was exciting, but also a little bit of a bum-out to be like, "Ah, nope. Still relevant." Maybe even more relevant! I don't know what you guys felt about that, but I think there's so much power in continuing to talk to each other... One of the best ways to control people is to control what they know, the i