If you don’t watch HBO’s hit fantasy series Game of Thrones, then you may not be familiar with the name Richard Madden. If you do watch the show though, then you’ll know the actor’s name due to his portrayal of Robb Stark. Whether you know him or not, you’ll soon be seeing him on the silver screen in Disney’s live-action retelling of the classic tale Cinderella, which has Downton Abbey star Lily James set to play the titular princess and Cate Blanchett taking on the role of the evil stepmother.
Directed by Kenneth Branagh (Thor) and written by Chris Weitz, the film will take a more gritty approach to the story, though don’t expect anything too dark as director Mark Romanek (who was previously attached to the film) clashed with the studio due to his version being too mature for Disney’s young audience. Still, I’m guessing this will be a fairytale more in the vein of Snow White and the Huntsman, rather than something like Mirror Mirror.
Of course, Madden will play the Prince in the story and given his work in Game of Thrones, I think this is an excellent casting choice. He’s a good, strong male lead who can pull off the dramatic and rough exterior, but also be a bit of a charmer, too. He was actually on the shortlist for the role a while back but only today did Disney issue the official press release telling us that he secured the part.
What do you think of Richard Madden as the Prince in Cinderella? Smart casting? Are you looking forward to seeing the live-action version of this classic tale? Let us know in the comments below.