Actress Dakota Fanning has signed on for the title role in the victorian drama Effie, according to Deadline, a part which Saoirse Ronan was previously circling, but has now passed on. While Fanning has the main role, a great roster of British talent has come onboard as well, to tell the fascinating true story of Euphemia ‘Effie’ Gray.
She was a teenager who married famed London art critic John Ruskin (Greg Wise) in 1848, despite the fact he was more than 20 years her senior. The pairing turned out to be a disaster, with Ruskin refusing to consummate the marriage to his young bride. Even though Effie was considered extremely attractive, Ruskin was somehow repulsed by her body (the possibly apocryphal story is that having only seen nudes in art, he was horrified at the sight of his bride’s pubic hair).
Effie eventually turned her affections to Ruskin’s protege, John Everett Millais (Tom Sturridge), and became his muse. A love triangle developed, with Effie mariage to Ruskin eventually annulled, allowing her to marry the pre-raphaelite painter.
Emma Thompson wrote the screenplay and will portray Lady Eastlake, who took young Effie under her wing. Julie Walters and Derek Jacobi will portray Effie’s parents and Edward Fox is in talks to play Lady Eastlake’s husband, Sir Charles Eastlake, an esteemed patron of the Royal Academy.
Richard Laxton is directing Effie, which is scheduled to start production on October 17th in Scotland, London, and Venice. It’s certainly a fascinating tale, and Thompson is a very good writer to take it on. Effie will be one to look out for when it’s released next year.