‘The Physician II’ Starring Tom Payne, Emily Cox, Aiden Gillen and Liam Cunningham Debuts First Look, Beta Cinema to Launch Sales at AFM
Beta Cinema, Constantin Film, Zeitsprung Pictures and UFA Fiction have unveiled the first look photo of “The Physician II,” the sequel to the hit historical epic.
The original film, released in 2013, sold to over 60 territories and became an international box-office hit. In Germany alone, the film earned $42 million at the box office, with 3.6 million admissions.
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“The Physician” director Philipp St?lzl once again brings together a stellar ensemble of international stars and rising talents: Tom Payne (“Horizon: An American Saga,” “The Walking Dead,” “Prodigal Son”) reprises his role as the passionate physician Rob Cole and shares the screen with Emily Cox (“The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die”), Aidan Gillen (“Game of Thrones,” “Maze Runner”), áine Rose Daly (“Boiling Point,” “Hanna”), Owen Teale (“Robin Hood,” “Game of Thrones”), and Liam Cunningham (“Game of Thrones,” “Hunger”).
The shoot took place from August to October 2024 in Hungary, Cologne and Berlin. Constantin Film is releasing the film in German cinemas on Dec. 25, 2025, and Beta Cinema is handling international sales, presenting first materials at the upcoming American Film Market.
The story is set in the 11th century: After fleeing Isfahan, the physician Rob Cole and his companions find themselves stranded in his old home of London, aiming to spread their advanced medical knowledge. However, Rob is soon drawn into the intrigues of the royal court and must fight once more—for the lives of his patients, for the recognition of his work, and against a new and profound challenge: the suffering of the human soul.
St?lzl said, “Coming back to ‘The Physician’ after 10 years has been a wonderful and intense experience for me as a director. On the one hand it felt like a warm homecoming to familiar characters and themes, on the other hand it was so interesting to see how I am looking at this world now having developed way further as an artist in the meantime.”
“A long dream comes true,” stated producer Wolf Bauer. “’The Physician’ story, about the human quest for knowledge and wisdom continues. ‘The Physician II’ once again offers great epic cinema. We follow our hero Rob Cole on his adventurous journey back to medieval London and into the depths of the human soul. Intolerance, superstition, hostility towards all things foreign and diabolical intrigues at the royal court are his biggest enemies. We are proud that we have been able to make this great movie happen – thanks to our new passionate partners Beta, Amazon, ZDF and Constantin Film.”
Payne stated, “Not many actors have the opportunity to return to a role they have played. Let alone 10 years later. It is a unique honor that I am able to revisit a character known and beloved by millions and share a new adventure that explores meaningful and universal themes within an epic and engrossing story. I am excited for people to once again enter the world of Rob Cole and enjoy a timeless movie experience.”
“The Physician II” is a Wolf Bauer/Philipp St?lzl production, produced by Till Derenbach and Michael Souvignier of Zeitsprung Pictures, Bauer and Sebastian Werninger of UFA Fiction. Constantin Film and Beta are co-producing.
“The Physician II” is again being directed by St?lzl, based on a story by Jan Berger and St?lzl. Amazon Prime Video and ZDF are important financing partners. The production is supported by the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg (MBB), the German Federal Film Fund (DFFF) and the German Federal Film Board (FFA).
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