Causing a Stir with Nobbs On!

Glenn Close will soon be seen on the big screen as she has never been seen before in an adaptation of the short story The Singular Life of Albert Nobbs by celebrated Irish writer George Moore. The curious tale of an Englishwoman who has to disguise herself as a man in order to make an independent life for herself in nighteenth-century Ireland is very close to Ms. Close's heart. She originally starred as the eponymous hero/heroine in a stage version of the story in the 1980s. She has adapted it for the screen with Booker Prize winner John Banville and is also a producer on the film simply titled Albert Nobbs.

Filming began in and around Dublin in December 2010 after financial concerns caused the production to be postponed from the early summer. This move meant that original stars Orlando Bloom and Amanda Seyfried were forced to withdraw due to scheduling conflicts. The postponement may ultimately prove a blessing in disguise as the underwhelming Bloom and Seyfried were replaced by bright young things Aaron Johnson and Mia Wasikowska, who is pictured above with Close in a scene from Albert Nobbs. Wasikowska will also be seen later this year in the title role of the latest screen adaptation of Jane Eyre alongside Michael Fassbender as Mr Rochester and Judi Dench as Mrs Fairfax. American director Cary Fukunaga's take on Charlotte Bronte's timeless classic was enthusiastically received by critics when given a limited release across the pond in March.

Albert Nobbs itself has been the cause of much excitement and it was announced this week that the movie, directed by Rodrigo Garcia, has secured a distributor in the United States, no mean feat even with it being a Glenn Close vehicle. Indeed, Ms. Close, currently appearing in her Emmy Award-winning role in American cable drama Damages, has only featured sporadically on the big screen in the past ten years. The supporting cast is an impressive mixture of homegrown and British talent including Brenda Fricker, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Janet McTeer, Brendan Gleeson, Mark Williams and Pauline Collins. I for one am really looking forward to this singular period film. How about you?