Emily Browning is coming off an interesting, if not exactly successful 2011. She had the unfortunate task of leading Zack Snyder's teenage boy wet dream "Sucker Punch," a film whose failures landed squarely on the director, but didn't do much favors to the cast who were ultimately wasted in the endeavor. She then headed to Cannes to walk the red carpet for the provocative "Sleeping Beauty," a challenging, cold, hermetic film that despite its supporters didn't become an arthouse hit. And while she did audition for "Hunger Games," and lined up a part in the upcoming Michael Cera thriller "Magic Magic" she's kicking of 2012 will something a bit more low key.
Just a barely a month after it was first announced, "Summer In February" is making a casting switch up as it heads into production. Screen Daily report that Browning has replaced Ophelia Lovibond on the project, co-starring Dominic Cooper, and based on the book by Jonathan Smith (who also wrote the screenplay). The story centers on a love triangle that develops in the life of painter Alfred Munnings, the famed British artist who took a marked stand against modernism. Cooper will take the lead role, with Dan Stevens ("Downton Abbey") and Hattie Morahan ("The Bank Job") rounding out the cast. Mostly-TV director Christopher Menaul takes the helm.
This is small film, with an $8 million budget, but the subject sounds fascinating and the leads are solid, so we'll be curious to see how this all turns out. The seven-week shoot kicks off on Sunday.