Tonight seems to be the night for Harry Potter stars in talks to play classic roles. Earlier, we shared news that Daniel Radcliffe was in final negotiations to play Igor in Fox's Frankenstein-inspired feature, and now comes word that Emma Watson is in talks to star in Kenneth Branagh's take on Cinderella for Disney. (Coincidentally, Branagh starred in and directed an adaptation of Frankenstein in 1994.)
Variety reports that Watson is in "very early talks" with Disney to play the lead in a live action adaptation of Cinderella, to be directed by Kenneth Branagh. Mark Romanek was previously set to helm the film, which is based on a script by Aline Bosh McKenna, rewritten by Chris Weitz. Should Watson lock down the role, she'll be starring opposite Cate Blanchett, who's on board to play the wicked stepmother.
Following up on the start of her career, playing Hermione in the Harry Potter films, Watson's kept busy, appearing in My Week with Marilyn and The Perks of Being a Wallflower. She's also set to star in the upcoming film The Bling Ring, as well as Darren Aronofsky's Noah. Cinderella wouldn't be the first princess role in consideration by the actor, either. As Variety points out, a few years back, she was considering starring in a musical based on Cinderella that Marilyn Manson was planning to write and direct.
And about a year ago, we learned that she was in talks to star in Guillermo del Toro's Beauty and the Beast. As of last fall, word was that they would start shooting for that one this summer, but there's no recent update to confirm whether or not that's still the case and whether Watson is still attached to star. Del Toro has a number of directing jobs lined up, including an adaptation of Pinocchio, but Beast is not listed among them on IMDB, though it is mentioned under "projects in development." So we'll have to wait and see what news is confirmed for the actor on both projects in the future.
