As charming and beautiful as their on screen counterparts, Lily James and Richard Madden, the stars of Kenneth Branagh’s live-action retelling of Cinderella (read more about it and other versions here), have been working their magic on us during their current press tour. During a special screening of the film at the Tribeca Grand Hotel in New York, the pair brought some of their character’s chemistry off screen to give the cameras something to shout about. The same can be said for the work that both have coming up in the near future, particularly Lily James.
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Lily James has quite the year ahead, taking on projects that see her mixing the classics with zombies. Apart from a daring short film entitled ‘Silent Treatment’, we can expect great things from the young actress. First up, there is her part as Elizabeth Bennett in the film adaptation of ‘Pride and Prejudice and Zombies’, Seth Grahame-Smith’s spin on Jane Austen’s classic novel (discover real life Jane Austen locations here). We see Austen’s classic 19th century characters and their tangled relationships thrown upside down with the addition of a new peril… zombies. Yes, Seth Grahame-Smith’s slant on the much loved ‘Pride and Prejudice’ changes little about the context of the original, apart from the fact that the daily lives of those in the book must deal with zombies and be alert at all times. Sounds like my kind of period drama.
Lily James wearing Dolce&Gabbana SS2015 on The Hollywood Reporter magazine
Oscar-nominated writer, director and producer is behind the screenplay adaptation, and it also stars Douglas Booth, Sam Riley, Lena Headey, Matt Smith, Jack Huston, and Emma Greenwell. An official release date is yet to be revealed but it is due out sometime this year.
Then, there is the untitled project from 6-time Emmy-winning producer and writer John Wells, whose 2013 film ‘August: Osage County’ showed us that he is just as talented behind the camera. The cast is incredible, so far, including Bradley Cooper, Uma Thurman, Daniel Bruhl, Emma Thompson, Sienna Miller, Alicia Vikander, and Jamie Dornan. What we know about it is little but it will center on a chef, who assembles a crew of talented folk in the hope to create the best restaurant ever. Oscar-nominated writer Steven Knight is its writer, you’ll know him for the incredible TV Show Peaky Blinders, and, oddly enough, his world famous show ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’. I can’t wait to see what these guys cook up together.
Lily James wearing Dolce&Gabbana at a Cinderella screening in NY
Finally, looking at 2016, Lily James will star in a new mini-series based on War and Peace, created for the BBC ONE. The new epic will star Lily alongside James Norton, Paul Dano, and English comedy hero Ade Edmondson. The adaptation of Leo Tolstov’s masterpiece has been scripted by Emmy Award-winning writer and producer Andrew Davies, famous for ‘House of Cards’ and 2009’s ‘Little Dorrit’.
But it’s Cinderella that we have the pleasure of enjoying first, one of the many romance films that we’ve been looking forward too in 2015.
Cinderella is in Cinemas from March 13.