She’s currently braving festival reactions to her portrayal of the Queen of Hearts in Diana, but for a new job, Naomi Watts wants to work with Oscar-winning documentarian Errol Morris. She’s in talks to star in his new thriller, **Holland, Michigan.
Written by Andrew Sodroski, the plot details are mostly under wraps, but Deadline has learned that it’s set in the suburbs and will be laced with pitch-black humour. While it’s unusual to see Morris not making a documentary these days, he does have form in fictional filmmaking, and is attached to at least two other projects, including Freezing People Is Easy.
With Diana due here on September 20, Watts will follow that with** St. Vincent** alongside Melissa McCarthy and Bill Murray, and Alejandro González Iñárritu’s theatrical comedy Birdman.
She will not, however, be starring in Werner Herzog’s Gertrude Bell biopic Queen Of The Desert, because she’s left the film. Herzog isn’t worrying too much, however: he has Naomi’s pal Nicole Kidman in talks to take over.
If Kidman signs, she’ll play Bell, the iconic explorer, writer, archaeologist and attaché for the British Empire, who is credited with helping to shape the formation of the Middle East at the dawn of the 20th century. It’s not even the first actor swap for the film: James Franco stepped in to replace Jude Law, who will star alongside Robert Pattinson.
Kidman has her own real-life royalty tale doing the rounds at the moment with Grace Of Monaco. She’s also out touting The Railway Man, which finds her starring opposite Colin Firth. We’ll get to see that one on January 3.