Since deciding not to return for superhero sequel Thor 2, Kenneth Branagh has been mulling over at least two potential projects: novel adaptation The Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Pie Society and romantic drama Italian Shoes. It looks like he’s pushing ahead first with Pie Society, grabbing Kate Winslet for the female lead.
Adapted by The Opposite Of Sex writer/director Don Roos from Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer’s book, the film will see Winslet play writer Juliet Ashton, who wrote magazine columns during World War II. In the aftermath of the conflict, she’s contacted by Channel Islander Dawsey Adams, who tells her the intriguing tale of the book society formed to help undercut the Nazi presence on Guernsey. Ashton decides to investigate, and romance blossoms…
It’ll be a reunion for the director and star, as Winslet played Ophelia in Branagh’s Hamlet, which he starred in and directed back in 1996. This time around, Branagh will most likely stick behind the camera. He’s in pre-production now and aims to kick off shooting in March.
Winslet, who was last seen in Steven Soderbergh’s Contagion and will next hit the screen in Roman Polanski’s Carnage (due February 3), is also going to be doing the rounds to promote the 3D re-release of Titanic, which docks on these shores on April 6.