It seems to be the day for Harry Potter stars to be lined up for new projects, as earlier today we reported that Tom Felton will appear in Fox’s Rise Of The Apes, and now Variety reports that Danie Radcliffe has been confirmed for Hammer’s adaptation of Susan Hill’s The Woman In Black.
The project was announced a couple of months ago at Cannes, with Kick-Ass’s jane Goldman on screeplay duties, and Eden Lake’s James Watkins down to direct. It’s rather surprising nobody has made a feature film version of Susan Black’s creepy ghost story before. After all, if it can be turned into a stage play that’s now been running in London’s West End for over 20 years, it suggests the tale has something that will keep audiences on the edge of their seat, and would therefore make a good movie. So far the only time it’s been on screen was as a 1989 TV movie.
Radcliffe will play young lawyer Arthur Kipps, who travels to a remote village to sort through a recently deceased clients papers. There he encounters the mysterious woman in black. After a series of hauntings he tries to find out more about his client and the ghostly woman, eventually uncovering a series of tragic events that may have terrible repurcussions.
With that and All Quiet On The Western Front, it certainly suggests Radcliffe is looking for more grown-up roles, hoping to get past the fact he’s so synonymous with Harry Potter. Shooting on the 3D movie is expected to start this autumn.