Keira Knightley Might Star in New Catherine the Great Biopic
Oh, and none other than Barbra Streisand is in the director's chair.
Keira Knightley may be back in period-piece attire for a massive biopic of Russia’s legendary 18th century monarch entitled Catherine the Great.
Catherine the Great ruled from 1762 until her death in 1796, leading the Russian Empire through its golden age and fostering the Enlightenment throughout her nation.
Barbra Streisand, who won an Academy Award for Best Director for 1983’s Yentl, has already taken the director’s chair, with Gil Netter serving as producer. The screenplay, written by Kristina Lauren Anderson, was the top pick on the Black List of un-produced screenplays in 2014.
The plot will allegedly focus on the turbulent dynamics of Catherine the Great’s husband and predecessor, Peter III, and show her rise to power as “Empress and Autocrat of All the Russias,” as Russian monarchs were then known.
If she secures the role, Knightley will add to her continuing list of prestige films and stage productions in the past half-decade, including an Oscar-nominated performance in The Imitation Game.
