Scarlett Johansson is to play Mary, Queen of Scots in a new historical film.
The movie will be written by Jimmy McGovern, the writer behind behind Cracker, and directed by The Painted Veil’s James Curran, production company Relativity Media announced at the Cannes Film Festival.
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”.
The Roman Catholic queen ruled Scotland from 1542 to 1567 but was forced to flee to England – ruled by her Protestant cousin, Elizabeth I – after a reign filled with murder and political plotting.
Kept prisoner for almost two decades, she was beheaded aged 44 after being implicated in a plot to seize the English throne.
It’s not the first period drama role for 22-year-old Scarlett, who starred in Girl With A Pearl Earring.
