AceShowbiz -

Three years after the movie went into production and some long-running legal disputes, "Effie Gray" is finally ready for theatrical and first trailer release. The period drama is starring Dakota Fanning and Emma Thompson, written and directed by Thompson based on a true story.

The film is a look at the mysterious relationship between Victorian artist John Ruskin and his teenage bride Effie Gray. In real life, Euphemia "Effie" Gray was married for the second time to then pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais. The annulment of her first marriage to Ruskin, which was never consummated, caused a scandal that barred her from many social functions.

Fanning plays the titular role while Thompson's husband Greg Wise portrays Ruskin. Tom Sturridge is Millais while Thompson is Lady Eastlake. The film will be released in the U.K. on October 10 and in the U.S. the next month.

The movie was actually completed more than a year ago but a bunch of writers claimed it stole their existing works. "What a road you travel to make these movies," producer Donald Rosenfeld told ScreenDaily. "We were ready to release this film 18 months ago. The lawsuits cost $1m but we won them both."

The legal problems also caused the movie to miss the 2013 Cannes. "A number of festivals called and were interested," Rosenfeld added. "But we decided not to open with them. Cannes would have been special and they wanted it at the time of its first scheduled release but it was still tied up in the legal issues this May."