RADIO TIMES – Cast your mind back to July and – if you’re a hardcore Downton Abbey fan – you may remember rumours abounding that Lily James was set to star in BBC1’s new six-part adaptation of War and Peace.

Well, they’re true. “Yes, I’m doing War and Peace,” the actress confirmed to RadioTimes.com at the Downton Abbey series five launch event.

Adapted from Leo Tolstoy’s 1869 epic, the six-part series – penned by Pride and Prejudice and House of Cards screenwriter Andrew Davies – is a co-production with The Weinstein Company and will air on BBC1 in 2015.
Set in 1805 against the backdrop of Alexander I’s reign, the epic novel follows five aristocratic families and the events surrounding Napoleon’s invasion in 1812. There Will Be Blood’s Paul Dano has been rumoured to star alongside James in the role of Pierre Bezukhov – Natasha’s love interest.

James’s star has been firmly on the rise ever since she joined Downton Abbey during the series three Christmas special. Besides her role on the ITV drama, she’s currently filming Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and will next be seen playing the lead in Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella when it comes to cinemas next March – a project which saw her reunite with Sophie McShera who plays the Crawleys’ kitchen maid Daisy.

“I can’t wait for you to see her in it,” said James. “She looks phenomenal, she’s got the best costumes ever – make up, lashes, hair, ornaments, jewellery – it’s the opposite of Daisy and she’s just amazing in it. People are going to go wild.”

Lily was interviewed by Grazia magazine. The interview is in french but she talks about her dream to play in a historical drama and how surprised she was when she got her role in ‘Downton Abbey’. ‘Cinderella’ and the support from an amazing cast & crew, her future projects and that she wants to play different roles but also talks about acting is what makes her happy. The article featured a new photoshoot now added in our gallery. Enjoy!

D’où vient-elle ?
Élevée dans une famille à la fibre artistique développée, Lily a toujours chanté, dansé, joué : “Mon père et ma grand-mère étaient acteurs, faisaient de la musique dans un groupe… Enfin, pas ensemble !” Elle s’inscrit donc dans une école d’art dramatique à Londres, dont elle sort en 2010. Deux ans plus tard, elle décroche le Graal : le rôle de l’intrépide Lady Rose MacClare dans Downton Abbey. “Je rêvais de jouer dans un drame historique, je suis tellement anglaise. J’ai auditionné en pensant n’avoir aucune chance. J’en ai renversé ma tasse de café quand on m’a dit que c’était bon !”

Où est-elle ?
Dans la cinquième saison de Downtown Abbey qui sera diffusée à la rentrée et, surtout, dans l’adaptation esthétique et forcément lyrique de Cendrillon par Kenneth Branagh, en salle en avril 2015. “C’était un tournage très long, assez éprouvant, et impressionnant, mais j’ai été soutenue par une équipe vraiment incroyable : Stellan Skarsgard, Helena Bonham Carter, Richard Madden et mon idole absolue, Cate Blanchett.”

Où va-t-elle ?
Tourner trois films qui impliquent de la cuisine, du mélodramatique british et… des zombies ! “Je suis pour essayer des choses radicalement différentes.”

Ce qui la freine ?
Un manque de confiance en elle : “Parfois je ne me sens pas assez belle, ou pas à la hauteur, j’ai vraiment besoin du soutien du réalisateur.”

Ce qui la booste ?
Jouer, toujours plus. “Être actrice implique d’autres choses très sympas, mais c’est sur scène ou sur un plateau que je me sens la plus heureuse.”

I tried to translate the article in english, sorry if you see some mistakes. See below:

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DEADLINE – EXCLUSIVE: The adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith’s Pride And Prejudice And Zombies has been seeking big-screen life ever since the smash mash-up novel was published in 2009 — but through a series of director changes, it sometimes looked like it had one foot in the grave. No more. The movie version now is a reality with principal photography slated to start in September and Cross Creek Pictures acquiring domestic rights with a commitment for a wide U.S. release. Hot British actors Lily James and Sam Riley and Australia’s Bella Heathcote have been set to lead the film that mixes the 1813 Jane Austen classic Pride And Prejudice with a legion of bloodthirsty undead. Burr Steers (Igby Goes Down, Charlie St Cloud) is directing from a screenplay by David O. Russell and Steers. Brian Oliver, Allison Shearmur, Sean McKittrick, Natalie Portman, Annette Savitch, Tyler Thompson and Marc Butan will produce on behalf of Sierra/Affinity, which also is handling foreign sales. (The project formerly was at Panorama but moved over with Butan when he joined Sierra/Affinity in January.) CAA packaged the Cross Creek deal.

Published by Quirk Books, the international bestseller has taken its time to get to the starting line. Russell, whose strong script has been one of the constants throughout the process, at one point was going to direct for Lionsgate, but he dropped out in 2010. The studio then chose Mike White, who subsequently left over a scheduling conflict, and Craig Gillespie moved into position in April 2011, only to exit six months later. That split was amicable, but as Deadline reported at the time, had to do with things like who to cast. Emma Stone passed on the lead role in June 2011.

Portman, who along with much of the team has been aboard as producer from the outset, at one point was going to star and later dropped out. Lily Collins was floated for the lead last year at around the time Steers came on. The package is now firmed up with James playing Elizabeth Bennett, Riley as Mr Darcy and Heathcote as Elizabeth’s sister. Jack Huston is also in talks. The novel plays with the relationships between lovers from different social classes in 19th century England who are faced with the challenge of an army of the “sorry stricken” aka zombies.

James, best known for her role as Lady Rose on Downton Abbey, next will be seen in Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella (which Shearmur is also producing), and also is circling the Weinstein Co/BBC miniseries War And Peace. She’s repped by UTA and the UK’s Tavistock Wood Management. Riley was in the Disney smash Maleficent and is in The Weinstein Co’s upcoming Suite Française; he’s repped by WME and Tavistock Wood. Heathcote’s credits include Dark Shadows and In Time; she’s repped by WME and Oz’s JM Agency.

‘Cinderella’ is one of the featured films during the D23 Expo in Brazil and someone shared a picture (probably a promotional one) of Lily as Cinderella and her co-star Richard Madden as Prince Charming. Make sure to take a look, enjoy! (thanks for the heads-up and credit goes to the rightful owner).

Watch below a great interview with Cinderella‘s director Kenneth Branagh. Enjoy!

A live-action feature inspired by the classic fairy tale. In theaters March 2015.

The story of “Cinderella” follows the fortunes of young Ella (Lily James) whose merchant father remarries following the death of her mother. Eager to support her loving father, Ella welcomes her new stepmother (Cate Blanchett) and her daughters Anastasia (Holliday Grainger) and Drisella (Sophie McShera) into the family home. But, when Ella’s father unexpectedly passes away, she finds herself at the mercy of a jealous and cruel new family. Finally relegated to nothing more than a servant girl covered in ashes, and spitefully renamed Cinderella, Ella could easily begin to lose hope. Yet, despite the cruelty inflicted upon her, Ella is determined to honor her mother’s dying words and to “have courage and be kind.” She will not give in to despair nor despise those who mistreat her. And then there is the dashing stranger she meets in the woods. Unaware that he is really a prince, not merely an apprentice at the Palace, Ella finally feels she has met a kindred soul. It appears her fortunes may be about to change when the Palace sends out an open invitation for all maidens to attend a ball, raising Ella’s hopes of once again encountering the charming Kit (Richard Madden). Alas, her stepmother forbids her to attend and callously rips apart her dress. But, as in all good fairy tales, help is at hand, and a kindly beggar woman (Helena Bonham-Carter) steps forward and — armed with a pumpkin and a few mice — changes Cinderella’s life forever.

As said in the previous post, a five minutes footage of ‘Cinderella’ was shown at the CinemaCon, here are some more details about it. The article below contains spoilers!

io9 – Disney’s live action Cinderella movie is so wonderfully beholden to the animated source material, it will make your heart swell. And we’ve seen a large chunk of it, including the Evil Stepmother, Cate Blanchett — who makes her grand entrance with A CAT ON A LEASH.

Today at CinemaCon, Disney gave a large presentation of their upcoming films, and the huge standout hit was Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella. Honestly I had almost forgotten all about this film — well, no more. Move over Maleficent (which had absolutely nothing to show.) Cinderella and her tiny clothes-wearing mice are here to wear the Disney Crown. Here’s everything I saw.

The footage opened as all good fairy tales should, a woman’s voice says “Once Upon A Time there was a Child named Ella.”
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VARIETY – In addition to the “Inside Out” sneak peek, Horn and Dave Hollis, exec VP of worldwide distribution for Disney, showed roughly five minutes from another 2015 release, the live-action version of “Cinderella,” which stars Cate Blanchett, Lily James and Helena Bonham Carter.