A LONG-AWAITED film partially filmed in Lyme Regis is set to bypass cinemas and go straight to streaming services later this month.

The UK release date has finally been confirmed for the much-delayed Mary Anning biopic, Ammonite.

With cinemas still closed in throughout the country as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, film studio Lionsgate has confirmed that the film will be skipping theatres and have a 'premium' video-on-demand rollout.

The film is now set to land on digital platforms across the UK on Friday, March 26.

A spokesman for Lionsgate UK, said: "Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan star in Francis Lee's poetic love story, Ammonite, which will be available for premium rental at home on all digital platforms from March 26."

Ammonite, partially shot in Lyme Regis and other west Dorset locations in 2019, is based on the life of world-renowned palaeontologist Mary Anning and stars Kate Winslet as the Lyme Regis fossil hunter alongside co-star Saoirse Ronan as geologist Charlotte Murchsison.

The film was originally scheduled to be released last year, put had repeated set backs as a result of the pandemic.

Ammonite is directed by Francis Lee and is centred on a speculative romantic relationship between the two main characters, featuring themes of same sex relationships and class

The movie was screened during several film festivals in 2020, including the Toronto International Film Festival, and was met with rave reviews from film critics.

‘Ammonite’ has also been listed in a Best Films of 2021 preview by British film magazine ‘Empire’.