A Hollywood classic is heading to London’s West End and Cinderella is going along for the journey. Lily James has signed on to star in a reimagined version of “All About Eve” with previously announced cast member Gillian Anderson. According to The Hollywood Reporter, rehearsals are scheduled to kick off in January, with performances starting the following month at the Noel Coward Theatre.
Originally scheduled to open this year, the production initially indicated that Cate Blanchett would star alongside Anderson. The two-time Oscar winner had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts. “Downton Abbey” and “Cinderella” star James was just added to the cast.
“All About Eve” earned 14 Oscar nods.
Based on a short story by Mary Orr, the 1950 film version of “All About Eve” depicts the intensifying rivalry between Margo (Bette Davis), an acclaimed but aging and bitter Broadway star, and newcomer Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter). Eve originally arrives on the scene to learn from Margo, but she’s far from a naive ingenue — she’s calculating and determined to move her career forward.
The stage production will see Anderson playing Margo, and James taking on the role of Eve.
THR speculates that the project, presented by Sonia Friedman Productions and Fox Theatricals, is being eyed as a potential Broadway vehicle.
James will next be seen in “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again,” set to bow July 19, and “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society,” a period romance about a writer that debuts on Netflix August 10. Anderson has a role in Susanna Fogel’s “The Spy Who Dumped Me,” a buddy comedy that hits theaters August 3.
