A LONG-AWAITED Lyme Regis-based film is available to watch online from today.

Ammonite, starring Kate Winslet and acclaimed but often overlooked fossil hunter Mary Anning, will be available to watch on digital streaming platforms from today (Friday, March 26).

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 hollywood film set in 1840's Lyme Regis will also be released in cinemas when they are able to reopen.

Lionsgate, the studio behind the film, has now announced that it plans to release the film in cinemas when they reopen, currently scheduled to be from May 17 - subject to government data at the time.

Ammonite, partially shot in Lyme Regis and other west Dorset locations in 2019, is based on the life of the groundbreaking palaeontologist and also stars Saoirse Ronan alongside Winslet.

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

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.

It will be released on a number of streaming platforms - including Amazon Video, iTunes, and Sky Store.