Helen Mirren did it. So has Colin Firth. Now Madonna is hot for it. They, and the rest of Hollywood, know that a royal wave could very well lead to Oscar and box-office gold. With Colin Firth's Best Actor victory as a stammering King George VI in The King's Speech, and Dame Mirren's Oscar for her spot-on portrayal of Her Majesty in The Queen, the Queen of Pop now wants some of that action and regal glory. Well, ex-hubby Guy Ritchie is sixth cousin once removed to Catherine, the new Duchess of Cambridge, and attended Prince William's wedding.
Wisely, the Material Girl, who isn't exactly known for her acting chops, has decided to co-write and direct the upcoming film, W.E., rather than star in it. With Madonna involved, the biopic promises to be a contemporary and scintillating look at the royal romance that literally brought down a king and rocked the British monarchy to its core. James D'Arcy is set to take on the role of King Edward VIII, who later became the Duke of Windsor after abdicating for the woman he loves, the American divorcee Wallis Simpson, played by Andrea Riseborough. Also starring Abby Cornish and Natalie Dormer, last seen as Anne Boleyn in the Showtime series,The Tudors. Can't wait for this saucy new interpretation!
Not that a project necessarily has to be good to find an audience who's riveted by all things royal. Some of my journalist friends in London raved to me about the recent "so cringe-inducingly bad that it's good" American TV movie on William and Catherine's romance. Like a train-wreck, you just can't seem to stop watching.
Even those who were connected to the royals have found themselves the subjects of interest and courted by Hollywood. Stephen Evans, the acclaimed producer of The Madness of King George is planning to make a movie on Ken Wharfe -- Diana, Princess of Wales', former bodyguard. CBS had aired The Biographer, a movie of the week about Andrew Morton, the biographer who lifted the lid on Diana's troubled life behind closed doors.