Just a few days ago, the story was that casting of Jack the Giant Killer's female lead was down to two contenders: Adelaide Kane and Eleanor Tomlinson. Commiserations to Kane then, who came second in the fantasy showdown* that saw Tomlinson nab the role of Jack's squeeze Princess Isabella.
Bryan Singer's film makes the princess a feisty hothead who runs away from her kingdom but spoils the effect by getting kidnapped by giants. Luckily she's already turned farmboy Jack's head, leading him to mount a daring rescue mission.
This is all very different to the crazy 1962 version, you'll notice, which had Jack attempting to get Princess Elaine to a nunnery.
The nineteen-year-old Tomlinson has been acting since childhood, with her highest-profile films to date Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, where she played Fiona Chattaway, and The Illusionist, where she was the young Jessica Biel. She also appeared in Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging, and a couple of episodes of the BBC's Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures. Jack the Giant Killer, however, is her first major lead.
She'll be joining Nicholas Hoult as Jack himself, with Bill Nighy, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci and John Kassier also aboard. The cast is filling out quickly so don't expect this to be the last announcement. Shooting starts in London on March 14th.
*Possibly not quite how the decision was made.