Coming off of The Da Vinci Code, not so albino Paul Bettany has jumped aboard a family fantasy with a fitting title.
Paul Bettany for Inkheart
According to Variety, New Line Cinema has picked up Paul Bettany to star opposite Brendan Fraser in the upcoming family fantasy Inkheart. The film will be directed by Iain Softley.
Softley is the same director who brought us K-Pax with Kevin Spacey and The Skeleton Key starring Kate Hudson. He was also the guy who directed Hackers, a film that seemed to have no use except for the discovery of Angelina Jolie. Ok, Ok, Girl, Interrupted gets that title, but she did show off her smoken-ness in Hackers as well.
Inkheart, which spent 19 weeks on the New York Times Children's Chapter bestseller list, revolves around a girl whose father has the power to bring characters from books to life by reading aloud.
When a villainous ruler and his band of rogues from a children's fable kidnap the man, his daughter and her friends, both real and imaginary, must rescue him.
Bettany is in talks to play Dustfinger, a fire-eating performer. Brendan Fraser has already landed the role of the kidnapped father. The part of the daughter, Meggie, has yet to be cast.
Playwright David Lindsay-Abaire penned the bigscreen adaptation of German author Cornelia Funke's fantasy novel, the first of a trilogy. Inkspell was published last fall, and Inkdawn will be out next year.
Like all multi-part fantasies to be adapted, New Line Cinema is hoping to create a film franchise out of the series.
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