Jack O’Connell, Lily Collins to Star in Hope Dickson Leach’s ‘The Cradle’

VARIETY – Jack O’Connell (“Unbroken”) and Lily Collins (“Okja”) will star in “The Cradle” with shooting starting this summer.

Based on Patrick Somerville’s 2009 novel, the movie will follow a young couple, Matt (O’Connell) and Marissa (Collins), as they prepare for their first child. As the last-minute nerves set in, Matt is sent on a mission to find the cradle that Marrissa had as a baby. The journey he subsequently embarks upon changes their family forever.

Somerville, creator of the upcoming Amazon series ‘Maniac,’ co-wrote the screenplay with Hope Dickson Leach (“The Levelling”) who directs. Protagonist Pictures has boarded the project and will launch the script to buyers in Cannes. UTA and CAA will handle North American rights. Gail Mutrux and Tore Schmidt are producing the film for Pretty Pictures (“The Danish Girl”).

“When we read Patrick Somerville’s book ‘The Cradle,’ we immediately fell in love with his exquisitely complex story about family ties which balances the emotional pull of parent-child connections with comically eccentric touches,” said Mutrux.

Dickson Leach’s “The Levelling” was well-received when it launched at Toronto in 2016. It won her a Scottish BAFTA for Best Writer and a nomination for Best Debut Screenwriter at the British Independent Film Awards.

“We were so moved by Hope Dickson Leach’s highly acclaimed and beautifully observed debut feature, ‘The Levelling,’ which immediately placed her as a major new talent,” said Protagonist’s CEO Dave Bishop.

“We’re thrilled to be working with her and the team at Pretty Pictures on this wonderfully life affirming, funny and heartfelt film about coming to terms with your past to face your future.”

Lily Collins Boards ‘Titan’ From ‘Kill Your Darlings’ Austin Bunn, Killer Films & XYZ

DEADLINE – EXCLUSIVE: Lily Collins has been set to star in survival thriller Titan, written and directed by Kill Your Darlings scribe Austin Bunn. Christine Vachon is producing with David Hinojosa for Killer Films. XYZ Films is exec producing and will launch international sales at the upcoming Cannes Market. CAA and UTA are handling domestic.

Titan tells the story of Emma (Collins), a strong-willed young musician on a quest to understand the life of her environmental activist older sister, who was killed years before in a tragic fall. Emma seeks out Justin, a former member of the movement, who reluctantly agrees to take her to the same remote redwood grove that claimed her sister. Emma soon finds herself in serious peril, forced to face off with Mother Nature in a relentless fight for survival.

Collins starred in last year’s To The Bone and has Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile and Tolkien on deck. She’s repped by CAA, LBI, Definition Entertainment and Sloan, Offer, Weber and Dern. Bunn is repped by UTA, Anonymous Content and attorney Jeff Wertheimer.

David Oyelowo, Dominic West, Lily Collins to Star in BBC’s ‘Les Misérables’ Miniseries

VARIETY – David Oyelowo, Dominic West, and Lily Colins have been cast in the lead roles in the upcoming BBC mini-series adaptation of “Les Misérables,” Variety has learned.

Based on Victor Hugo’s iconic literary classic, the story centers on French convict Jean Valjean (West) and his struggles to escape his past while being hunted for years over a parole violation by Inspector Javert (Oyelowo), set against the backdrop of the uprising of 1832. Collins will star as Fantine.

The cast also includes Adeel Akhtar and Olivia Colman as Monsieur and Madame Thénardier, Ellie Bamber as Cosette, Josh O’Connor as Marius, and Erin Kellyman as Éponine.

Oyelowo is a star of stage and screen who has worked extensively in his native Britain. He received critical acclaim for his role in Ava DuVernay’s 2014 film “Selma,” playing Martin Luther King Jr. He has also appeared in the films “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” “The Help,” “Red Tails,” “Lee Daniels’ The Butler,” “Queen of Katwe,” and “A United Kingdom.” He is repped by CAA, Inphenate, and the U.K.’s Hamilton Hodell Ltd.

West is best known to American audiences for his starring roles in Showtime’s “The Affair” and the hit HBO series “The Wire.” He will also appear in the upcoming film “Tomb Raider” and has appeared in films such as “Chicago,” “Punisher: War Zone,” and “300.” He is repped by WME and the U.K.’s Tavistock Wood Management.

Collins recently starred in the Amazon series “The Last Tycoon” as well as the films “Okja” and “Rules Don’t Apply.” She has also appeared in the films “The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones” and will star as Edith Bratt in the biopic “Tolkien.” She is repped by CAA and LBI Entertainment.

The six-part adaptation of “Les Misérables” will be written by Andrew Davies, who most recently turned “War & Peace” into a six-part series for BBC and A&E Networks. It will be a co-production by BBC Studios and Lookout Point for BBC and Masterpiece. It will be globally distributed outside the US by BBC Worldwide. Filming will begin in February 2018 in Belgium and Northern France.

Davies, Faith Penhale for Lookout Point, Bethan Jones for BBC Studios, Mona Qureshi for BBC One, Rebecca Eaton for Masterpiece, West, and Oyelowo will serve as executive producers. The six, one-hour episodes will be produced by Chris Carey and directed by Tom Shankland. The drama was commissioned by Charlotte Moore, director of BBC Content.