Game of Thrones alum Natalie Dormer has landed a role opposite Sean Penn and Mel Gibson in the upcoming adaptation of Professor and the Madman, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
In the works at Icon Productions, it’s understood the addition of Dormer is one of the final pieces to fall into place for the long-gestating project, which will now be readied to shop to international buyers at TIFF 2016 before entering production in earnest late September. It hasn’t been for lack of trying, considering that Gibson – who embodies one half of that title duo as Professor James Murray – has been attempting to nudge the wheels into motion for close to 18 years with little success. That’s all changed now, thankfully, and Simon Winchester’s bestseller is finally bound for the silver screen.
There’s also a creative reunion in the cards as Apocalypto scribe Farhad Safinia is set to take point at the helm for Professor and the Madman, a story that chronicles one of the most ambitious endeavours in modern history: the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary. Sean Penn, meanwhile, is attached to the part of Dr. W.C. Minor, who proved instrumental during that process by submitting upwards of 10,000 entries.
All in all, Professor and the Madman comes at an opportune time for Natalie Dormer, whose run as Queen Margaery Tyrell on hit HBO drama Game of Thrones came to a close in rather stunning fashion. Aside from dabbling in English history, the actress also holds a role in upcoming revenge thriller In Darkness, an indie pic she also holds a writing credit on. Emily Ratajkowski, Ed Skrein and Stacy Martin co-star in that one.
