Ellen Page to Play "Jane Eyre"
May 7, 2008 by Jane Boursaw
Ellen Page is ditching her hoodie for a corset to play the heroine of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre in a new BBC Films production.
It’s hard picturing her as anything but Juno at this point, so I hope she can break free of that and do something different. Even her character in Smart People was like Juno Lite (at least, that’s what I called it in my review).
More after the jump…
Ruby Film’s Alison Owen, who most recently produced The Other Boleyn Girl, is working with BBC Films to develop the new adaptation of Bronte’s classic 19th century romance. Page will star as the mousy governess who ends up falling for her employer Mr. Rochester, who’s hiding a dark secret. I won’t spoil it for you, in case you don’t know the story.
I will say this, though: It’s one of the most adapted novels in English literature, with 20-some previous film or TV versions. The last big-screen adaptation, in 1996, was directed by Franco Zeffirelli and starred Charlotte Gainsbourg.
Moira Buffini has already penned the screenplay. No director is attached yet, but producers are aiming to start shooting this fall.
Image: Smart People, Miramax Films, 2008
