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Jane Eyre star Mia Wasikowska is set to topline Occupant Entertainment’s Madame Bovary, which Sophie Barthes (“Cold Souls”) will direct from an adapted screenplay by Rose Barreneche.

Wasikowska will play the lead role of Emma Bovary, the beautiful wife of a small-town doctor who she married to escape her father’s pig farm. She constantly tries to climb the social ladder by engaging in extra-marital affairs.

Barthes’ “Cold Souls” star Paul Giamatti is attached to play Monsieur Homais, the town apothecary who is a close confidant of her husband Charles and threatens to reveal the protag’s steamy indiscretions.

While the adaptation is a period piece that will remain faithful to Gustave Flaubert’s original story, it’s a fresh retelling of the classic novel, emphasizing the more youthful and contemporary themes.

Joe Neurauter and Felipe Marino will produce for Occupant. Production will start this fall in Europe, and WME will handle domestic rights.

Wasikowska, who played the title role in Tim Burton’s billion-dollar grosser “Alice in Wonderland,” is about to start filming Richard Ayoade’s “The Double” with Jesse Eisenberg. She also stars in Fox Searchlight’s thriller “Stoker,” and will soon be seen in a supporting role alongside Shia LaBeouf in John Hillcoat’s “Lawless.”

Giamatti, who recently appeared in George Clooney’s “The Ides of March,” will soon be seen in WB’s musical “Rock of Ages” and David Cronenberg’s “Cosmopolis.”

Occupant is about to start production on Sam Rockwell-starrer “Better Living Through Chemistry.” Company is also backing Daniel Stamm’s psychological thriller “The Darkness,” which has Mary Elizabeth Winstead (“Smashed”) attached to star.

Wasikowska is repped by WME and RGM, while Giamatti is repped by UTA and Kipperman Management.

Source: Variety

The Australian actress portrayed the title character in Cary Fukunaga’s big screen adaption of novel Jane Eyre, also starring Dame Judi Dench and Michael Fassbender.

The film’s on-set costume designer Michael O’Connor says the cast should be proud of their efforts to convincingly portray their characters with the use of restrictive pieces.

“Well, I don’t think many women want to wear a corset everyday of their lives, but that is what Mia had to do to get the right shape. I’m sure Michael doesn’t want to wear trousers cut quite so high with braces and skirted coat and scarves around his neck. And likewise, I don’t think Judi Dench really wants to be so buttoned up,” he told Stylist.com.

“I know with Judi, we could’ve gone further over-the-top with her, but I know that she wouldn’t have felt correct like that. So even though it was a dialogue with all of the actors about those things, but you know, really, Mia has to be congratulated because she tolerated all of it every day, without a single complaint.”

Michael insists there was no way to make the restrictive corsets more comfortable for the actresses.

“It’d be great if you could, but for them to do their work, it has to be constructed in a certain way. If they’re not, they won’t last half a day. It’d just be like a flannel or an old rag. And I know when Mia put it on, she was feeling – she was becoming Jane as it were, so it helps the character. It’s quite a relief to take it off, as I’m sure she’ll tell you,” he smiled.

Michael is nominated for a Best Costume Design Oscar for his work on the drama. He has given his opinion on the other category nominees

“I met Mark Bridges [who is nominated for The Artist] once in Los Angeles, he’s very pleasant,” he said.

“I met Arianne Phillips [who is nominated for W.E.] many, many years ago. And I met Lisy Christl [of Anonymous] when I was doing Jane Eyre, in London. I’ve known Sandy Powell [who is nominated for Hugo] for a very long time. Definitely the longest. I love her work and all of it – I think this year, particularly, the people are really strong, amazing technical achievements.”

Michael won an Oscar for The Duchess in 2008.

Source: Belfast Telegraph

Set to shoot in the U.K. in spring/summer this year, The Double is inspired by Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s novella of the same name.

The novella details the story of an insignificant man driven to near breakdown by the appearance of his doppelganger.

Funny, frightening and dream-like, Ayoade promises his film will reflect on loneliness and our need to love and be loved.

Based on an original idea by Avi Korine, The Double is co-written by Ayoade and Korine, and produced by Amina Dasmal and Robin Fox of Alcove Entertainment.

Andy Stebbing will co-produce. The project was co-developed with and will be co-financed by Film4, the filmmaking arm of U.K. broadcaster Channel 4.

It marks Ayoade’s sophmore directorial project after making his debut feature “Submarine”, an adaptation of Joe Dunthorne’s coming-of-age tale.

Ayoade is widely known in the U.K. for comedic turns in TV shows including “The Mighty Boosh” and “The IT Crowd”, and will be seen next in ensemble sci-fi comedy “Neighbourhood Watch” alongside Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn.

Tessa Ross, head of Film & Drama at Channel 4, said of Ayoade’s second feature: ‘With Jesse [Eisenberg] and Mia [Wasikowska] now on board, it promises to be a wonderful journey.’

British banner Protagonist Pictures is handling sales for the project which makes its market debut during this month’s European Film Market in Berlin.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter