While entertainment pundit types continue to debate about what the fallout of Kristen Stewart's dalliance with "Snow White and the Huntsman" director Rupert Sanders will be and whether or not her public apology was the right PR move, the actress is already moving on, lining up a role in a period drama that has been brewing for a while now.
Vulture reports that Stewart has taken the lead in "Crazy Heart" director Scott Cooper's "Lie Down In Darkness." The project was one of many Cooper was attached to in the wake of his country singer drama, and back in 2010 it was said that Jennifer Lawrence was eager to take the lead. But now that she's busy with "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" and "X-Men: Days Of Future Past" for the foreseeable future, the casting of Stewart is expected to give the long-developing project the kickstart it needs (though it will need to wait until Cooper is done with the thriller "Out of the Furance" he shot this spring with Christian Bale).
Based on the book by William Styron, the story follows the Loftis family — Milton and Helen and their daughters, Peyton and Maudie — and is told through flashbacks on the day of Peyton’s funeral. Stewart will take that role, one that finds her constantly compared to her crippled sister Maudie, at odds with her mother and the object of her father's inappropriate desires. Fun! But this one has the full support of the author's estate behind it, with Styron's daughter producing and the family personally selecting Cooper to direct.
And while there's no word on when 'Darkness' will roll, Stewart also has a "Snow White and the Huntsman" sequel on her plate. Back in June, Universal decided to start moving fast on a followup to the fairy tale film, with David Koepp writing the script and Rupert Sanders directing. And you might think given the press around Stewart and Sanders, the studio might want him off the project, but alas that doesn't seem to be the case. A Universal source tells Vulture “nothing has changed and we are still looking at sequel options that would include Rupert directing” and the site suggests that Koepp is actively working on it, suggesting the studio is sticking to the plan.
So lots ahead for Stewart, "scandal" aside, including the gritty thriller "Cali" shooting this summer, and Walter Salles' "On the Road" hitting theaters in the fall (which she's quite good in, even if the movie itself is disapointing). Time generally smooths out these kinds of tabloid/dirty laundry things (stay strong Fred Willard!), and we suspect Stewart's reps realize this, so just moving on is probably the smart play at this point. And when it's with a promising project like "Lie Down In Darkness," even better.