The first pic of our very own Gemma Arterton in Stephen Frears’ comic book adaptation,** Tamara Drewe**, has just gone online. And, as with all things Arterton, it doesn’t exactly hurt the eyeballs.
In case you’re wondering, though, how the words ‘Stephen Frears’ and ‘comic book adaptation’ can appear in the same sentence, don’t worry – this is a far cry from Iron Man 2.
Instead, Tamara Drewe is based on Posy Simmonds’ comic strip, which was inspired by Far From The Madding Crowd, and which ran in the Guardian from 2005-2007, before being collected into a graphic novel. A true graphic novel, in the sense that the text was given equal weight with Simmonds’ drawings, Tamara Drewe is a gentle, superpower-free story of a newspaper columnist who causes a stir with her flirtatious ways in a small English village.
It promises to be yet another excellent showcase for Arterton who, when she’s not bringing poise to big, brash blockbusters, has been quietly showing off her acting chops in the likes of this and The Disappearance Of Alice Creed. We’re looking forward to this one, and should be checking it out when it plays in Cannes next month.
To find out more, head over to the Tamara Drewe Facebook page.