Educating Rita (film) a 25th Anniversary edition, to mark 25 years since the film's release. This edition has long been unavailable/discontinued, but in May 2018, ITV Studios has once again released the film onto Blu ray in the UK. In November 2002, the then-82-year-old director Lewis Gilbert went public with plans to remake his film "with a black cast that could include Halle Berry and Denzel Washington", with principal photography to commence in 2003. The project, however, never got off the ground. Educating Rita (film) Educating Rita is a British 1983 drama/comedy film directed by Lewis Gilbert with a screenplay by Willy Russell
Willy Russell Valentine" and "Educating Rita" became successful feature films with Michael Caine, Julie Walters and Pauline Collins all winning Oscar nominations for their respective roles, as did Russell for his "Educating Rita" screenplay. Russell's other worldwide theatrical success has been "Blood Brothers", 'a Liverpudlian folk opera' about a pair of twins separated at birth and brought up in completely different environments. "Blood Brothers" won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical in 1983 and its 1987 revival saw over 10,000 consecutive performances during its 24-year West End run. Simultaneously, UK touring and international productions (including a two-year run on Broadway)