Oscar winner Emma Thompson is set to star in “The Children Act,” an adaptation of the novel by Ian McEwan (“Atonement”), Variety reports.
Thompson will play Fiona May, a London judge “presiding with wisdom and compassion over ethically complex cases of family law. But she has paid a heavy personal price for her workload, and her marriage to American professor Jack (Stanley Tucci) is at breaking point. In this moment of personal crisis, Fiona is asked to rule on the case of Adam, a brilliant boy who is refusing the blood transfusion that will save his life. Adam is three months from his 18th birthday and still legally a child. Should Fiona force him to live? Fiona visits Adam in the hospital and their meeting has a profound emotional impact on them both, stirring strong new emotions in the boy and long-buried feelings in her.”
Thompson was most recently seen in “Bridget Jones’s Baby” as Bridget’s hilariously dry obstetrician. She’s also teamed up with Mindy Kaling for a movie centered on a late-night talk show host. Thompson will voice Mrs. Potts in the upcoming live-action adaptation of “Beauty and the Beast,” hitting theaters in March, 2017.
“The Children Act” will be directed by Richard Eyre, whose previous films “Iris” and “Notes on a Scandal” both resulted in Oscar-nominated performances for their female stars (Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett, respectively). Here’s hoping that with this powerful-sounding role, Thompson can add another nomination — or win — to her resume.
