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May 18, 2007 11:37 pm US/Eastern
Scarlett Johansson To Play Mary, Queen of Scots
CANNES, France (CBS) ―
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Scarlett Johansson (File)
Evan Agostini/Getty Images
Scarlett Johansson, whose screen credits include "Lost in Translation" and "Match Point," will star as Mary, Queen of Scots, in an upcoming historical film epic.
The deal was announced Thursday at the Cannes Film Festival by production company Relativity Media.
Mary, a Roman Catholic, ruled Scotland from 1542 to 1567, but her designs on the throne of England — ruled by her Protestant cousin, Queen Elizabeth I — led to her downfall and beheading at the age of 44.
The film will be directed by James Curran ("The Painted Veil") and written by Jimmy McGovern (gritty British TV crime drama "Cracker").
Producers said the film would see Mary "battle political enemies, scheming allies, and affairs of the heart in her quest to reunite the warring tribes of her native Scotland."
Historical rulers of the British Isles have been the topic of several modern makeovers recently, including the Henry VIII as soap opera bad boy in Showtime's "The Tudors."
Johansson, 22, has also starred in "The Girl With a Pearl Earring" and "The Black Dahlia."
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
