After his stint in Asgard on the Marvel side of the Disney family tree for ‘Thor’, actor/director Kenneth Branagh is stepping into the more classic fairytale side of the company when he helms the live action retelling of ‘Cinderella’. But it looks like he won’t be the only one to jump over from the Marvel Cinematic Universe to join this project.
After showing fans that Peggy Carter is a lot more than just Captain America’s love interest in ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’ and the upcoming Marvel One-Shot short film ‘Agent Carter’, Hayley Atwell appears to be a part of this new take on the classic princess tale. According to her personal Twitter account, the actress announced that she would be joining the cast of ‘Cinderella’ as they shoot at Pinewood Studios outside of London this week:
Shooting Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella in Pinewood this week.
— Hayley Atwell (@HayleyAtwell) August 18, 2013
In addition to director Branagh, Atwell joins cast members Cate Blanchett, Lily James, Richard Madden, and Helena Bonham Carter. However, she didn’t really go into much detail about her role in the film. But while chatting with BBC News about this casting announcement, the actress revealed that she’d be playing Cinderella’s biological mother:
“I’ve been at Pinewood rehearsing ‘Cinderella’ for Kenneth Branagh, so I’ve been doing that during the day and then the shows in the evening. My character? When Cinderella is five-years-old she loses her mum and she’s a good mum, that’s all I can really say, that it’s her biological mum. I’m really looking forward to working with [Branagh], he knows how your mind works, so it’s wonderful. He’s very thorough, like a theatre director. It’s with Cate Blanchett as well so I’m in very good company – she’s quite an extraordinary artist and I’ve been huge fan of her work.”
If I recall correctly, we mostly get stepmother rather than real mother though most of the Cinderella story, so unless the filmmaker is changing things up this time around, Atwell may only be playing a small part. However, I’m sure that she’ll still be a very welcome addition to the cast.
What do you think about Hayley Atwell joining ‘Cinderella’? Does this make you more excited to see this new live action adaptation of this fairytale? Let us know in the comment section.
‘Cinderella’ starring Lily James, Richard Madden, Cate Blanchett, Sophie McShera, Holliday Granger, and Helena Bonham Carter is scheduled to hit theaters on March 13, 2015.
