We knew a few days ago that Maggie Gyllenhaal would be joining the cast of Nanny McPhee 2, thanks to Production Weekly. And now that Variety has confirmed the story, they've at least got a few more names to add to the pile. Rhys Ifans, Maggie Smith, and Asa Butterfield have all signed on to join the cast, which makes this just a Julie Christie away from being as packed as a Harry Potter cast. It practically is a Harry Potter cast, actually, including Ifans, Thompson, Smith and Ralph Fiennes.
Emma Thompson, of course, will be returning as the nanny with magical powers, and Variety says this time she'll be taking care of kids who are evacuated from the city during wartime-- presumably the London Blitz during World War II. That's the exact same premise that kicks off The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, oddly enough, except replace a faun and a protective lion with Emma Thompson. Doesn't sound too bad a trade, actually.
