[Update 2/21 9:15 a.m.: The Weinstein Company has clarified the roles in “Tulip Fever” and confirmed that Alicia Vikander is attached to play the female lead, with Holliday Grainger in support.]
Hot off a well-reviewed turn as a femme fatale in A&E’s miniseries “Bonnie and Clyde,” British actress Holliday Grainger is in negotiations to star alongside Alicia Vikander and Christoph Waltz in the Weinstein Company’s period drama “Tulip Fever,” TheWrap has learned.
Justin Chadwick (“Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”) is directing the adaptation of Deborah Moggach’s beloved romance novel. Alison Owen of British banner Ruby Films (“Saving Mr. Banks”) is producing the long-gestating film with Harvey Weinstein, as “Tulip Fever” has been a passion project for Owen.
Also read: ‘The Borgias’ Star Holliday Grainger Joins Disney’s ‘Cinderella’ (Exclusive)
Set in 17th century Amsterdam, the story follows a married woman (Vikander) who begins a passionate affair with an artist hired to paint her portrait. The lovers gamble on the booming market for tulip bulbs as a way to raise money to run away together.
Grainger is in negotiations to play a maid.
Waltz, who signed on earlier this month, has called the script “brilliant” and expects “Tulip Fever” to be his next project, though his role remains unknown. Pre-production is scheduled to begin in April.
“Tulip Fever” has been a talent magnet for years, as Keira Knightley and Jude Law had been eyed to star in a previous incarnation of the project, which has interested directors such as Tom Hooper, John Madden and Peter Chelson over the years.
Also read: ‘Bonnie & Clyde’ Preview: The Brains of the Operation (Exclusive Video)
Grainger is no stranger to well-known love stories, having previously appeared in Cary Fukunaga’s “Jane Eyre,” Joe Wright’s “Anna Karenina” and Mike Newell’s “Great Expectations,” in which she played the female lead.
The 25 year-old British actress, who played Jeremy Irons’ daughter Lucrezia Borgia on Showtime’s “The Borgias,” will soon be seen in Disney’s “Cinderella” and Lone Scherfig’s indie thriller “Posh.” She’s repped by WME, LBI Entertainment and Troika.