Mulligan to play Eliza Doolittle, says Thompson

Emma Thompson, the British actress and screenwriter, has confirmed that Carey Mulligan is to play Eliza Doolittle in her remake of My Fair Lady. As previously reported by The First Post there had been speculation that both Keira Knightley and Scarlett Johansson were being considered for the role.

Mulligan (above), the Oscar-nominated star of An Education, had previously denied she would take the part, made famous by Audrey Hepburn in the 1963 classic. But when asked by BBC 5 Live about who would play Eliza, Thompson replied: "I think Carey is set to play it, yes,"

Hugh Grant has been linked to the role of Professor Henry Higgins, but that is not definite, Thompson insisted. Speaking last night at the British premiere for her latest film Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang, she said: "I love Hugh so I'd love him to do it, he might want to, he might not want to, so we don't know yet. But hopefully we'll make it later this year."

The film, which tells the story of a Cockney flower girl's transformation into a lady under the tutelage of Professor Higgins, will be produced by Sir Cameron Mackintosh and Duncan Kenworthy.

My Fair Lady will be the third film Thompson and Mulligan have worked on together. In addition to An Education, in which Thompson has a brief but scene-stealing cameo as the school's headmistress, the pair are about to start shooting a film based on the relationship between Victorian poet and artist John Ruskin and his unfortunate wife Effie Gray.

The film, which goes into production next month in Venice and Scotland, aims to establish what really happened on the Ruskins' infamous wedding night. The story goes that Ruskin was put off sex by the sight of his wife's naked body and the marriage was never consummated.

Written by Thompson and her husband Greg Wise, Effie will star Mulligan in the title role. Wise will play Ruskin while Thompson will play the Victorian art historian Elizabeth Eastlake. ·