Felicity Jones is saying goodbye to the Death Star and hello to life as a princess. The “Rogue One” actress has signed on to star in an untitled pitch inspired by “Swan Lake,” Variety reports. But don’t expect to see the Oscar nominee in pointe shoes. Though it’s based on one of the most famous ballets of all-time, the project won’t involve dancing, “but will instead use the story as the centerpiece for a major studio tentpole,” the source details.
Kristina Lauren Anderson — whose script about Catherine the Great topped the 2014 Black List — is penning the screenplay. The original ballet centers on Odette, a princess who undergoes a shocking transformation and becomes a swan after an evil sorcerer puts a curse on her.
“Swan Lake” is the ballet that sends Natalie Portman’s character into a downward spiral in her Oscar-winning role as a ballerina in “Black Swan.”
“Several major studios, including Paramount and Universal, are among the bidders for the property, which went on the market right before the Fourth of the July weekend,” Variety writes. Mandeville Films is producing.
Jones received an Academy Award nomination in 2015 for Stephen and Jane Hawking biopic “The Theory of Everything.” Her other credits include “A Monster Calls,” “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” and “Like Crazy.”
“She is absolutely a very unlikely heroine,” the actress has said of her “Star Wars” character, Jyn Erso. “She’s someone on the edges and fringes of society. Physically, she’s smaller than everyone else around her, but… when someone has something they believe in, that’s what powers them, that’s what motivates them, that’s what can give someone enormous strength.” She emphasized that showing powerful women onscreen is “vital.” “As we’re seeing in politics, it is a world where women are becoming leaders of nations, and films should be reflecting that,” she said.
“Rogue One” grossed over $1 billion worldwide.