Emma Watson, best remembered for the hugely successful Harry Potter franchise, will be starring in the movie adaptation of Queen of the Tearling. Since the conclusion of her role as Hermione Granger, Watson has opted for appearing in smaller movies such as My Week with Marilyn and The Bling Ring, both of which featured great performances from her. She was also radiant in yet another book-to-screen adaptation, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and will be seen in Darren Aronofsky’s Noah in March of 2014. The actress has definitely been keeping busy.
Queen of the Tearling is the first novel in a trilogy written by new author Erika Johansen. Watson will take the lead role of Kelsea Glynn. The character was created with inspiration from a speech given by Barack Obama in 2007. According to Variety the plot “is set three centuries after an environmental catastrophe when a malevolent Red Queen holds considerable power.” There have already been numerous comparisons to the popular television series Game of Thrones, which is definitely a plus.
A screenwriter and director have yet to be found but there is no rush on this one, seeing as the books will not be published until 2014. Producing will be David Heyman (who was also behind the Harry Potter films).
There is a considerable risk when creating a movie adaptation for a novel that is still not widely available yet. Typically an audience would be largely composed of fans of the book. Since those fans are non-existent at the moment, their numbers are uncertain.
Watson may be relied on to bring in her massive number of world-wide fans, who would be delighted to see her in almost anything. Although if the books become an instant hit, casting Watson as the lead would just be an added bonus. It’s still too soon to tell but if all goes well, the actress may have just added another iconic character to her already impressive filmography.
What do you think of Watson joining Queen of the Tearling? Let us know in the comments below.