Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Geoffrey Rush & Emily Watson to Star in The Book Thief

From Hollywood Reporter:

Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson are set to star in Fox 2000’s adaptation of Markus Zusak’s best-selling novel The Book Thief.

French-Canadian actress Sophie Nelisse, who appeared in Monsieur Lahzar, will make her English-language debut as the title character in the World War II drama being directed by Brian Percival (Downton Abbey).

Ben Schnetzer and Nico Liersch are also cast in the screen translation of the novel, which spent more than 280 weeks on best-seller charts.

Thief centers on Liesel (Nelisse), a spirited young girl who witnesses the horrors of Nazi Germany while in the care of foster parents (Rush and Watson). The girl arrives with a stolen book and begins collecting other tomes, learning to read while her stepparents harbor a Jewish refugee (Schnetzer) under the stairs.

Rush’s character first takes on the young girl for money but soon comes to love her. Watson’s character is described as being very tough on Liesel, but her kindness occasionally shows through.

The film will start production this month in Berlin.  

Karen Rosenfelt and Ken Blancato are producing.

No comments: