Tulip Fever is set against the backdrop of the 17th-century Tulip Wars. The film’s cast includes Alicia Vikander, Dane DeHaan, Judi Dench, Christophe Waltz, Tom Hollander, Jack O’Connell, Zach Galifianakis, Holliday Grainger, Matthew Morrison and Cara Delevingne.

A married noblewoman, Sophia Sandvoort (Vikander), has an affair with an artist Jan van Loos (Dane DeHaan), who has been commissioned to paint her portrait. Sophia switches identities with her maid to escape Cornelis (Waltz), the wealthy merchant she married. She and her lover try to raise money together by investing what little they have in the high-stakes tulip market.

Tulip Fever is based on the 1999 novel of the same name written by Deborah Moggach. It has taken numerous years to reach the screen, with interest in its adaptation for the big screen going as far back as 2004, when Steven Spielberg intended to produce it, with John Madden set to direct and Keira Knightley and Jude Law on board to star. However, production came to a halt due to an issue with tax laws.

It was a decade later that producer Alison Owen obtained the rights to the film and partnered with (a pre-scandal) Harvey Weinstein to set the ball rolling on production with the new cast and director in place.

Tulip Fever boasts a luscious production design by Simon Elliot, cinematography by Eigil Bryld, costume design by Michael O’Connor, hair and make-up design by Daniel Phillips. Veteran composer Danny Elfman wrote the score. Tulip Fever’s screenplay is written by Tom Stoppard and the film is directed by Justin Chadwick.