Though Alicia Vikander was originally set to co-star with Tom Hanks in **The Circle, she’s since dropped out thanks to a busy schedule. Hanks needn’t worry, though, as Emma Watson, who had been rumoured, is officially taking her place.
The script, adapted from Dave Eggers' novel by James Ponsoldt, who is also in the director’s chair, follows a young woman (Watson) hired to work for the titular internet megacorp, partly run by the charismatic tycoon played by Hanks. The idea behind the company is uniting users' email, social media, banking and online shopping in its universal operating system as one identity, with this leading to a new age of transparency and civility.
But of course, it’s not that simple – and the story becomes a thriller that exploits the dangers of a digital life where all personal data is collected and pervasive surveillance means that privacy is a thing of the past. And though she’s in the middle of it, the Circle might not have her best interests at heart.
“Emma Watson is one of my favourite actors, and her incredible talent, sensitivity and deep intelligence will bring an electric energy to The Circle,'” Ponsoldt says in a statement picked up by Variety.
Watson has psychological thriller Regression due out on October 9, with abduction thriller Colonia awaiting a release date. She’s currently at work on Disney’s live-action take on Beauty And The Beast, which won’t be with us until March 17, 2017.