From “younger sister of Mary-Kate and Ashley” to potential Best Actress nominee at next year’s Oscars, 2011 has been a banner year for Elizabeth Olsen, who is currently winning raves for her performance in the independent psychological thriller “Martha Marcy May Marlene” (review).
Now the 22-year-old actress has bagged another potential awards-season role as Glenn Close’s put upon young niece, the title character in an adaptation of the classic Emile Zola novel “Therese Raquin”, according to Entertainment Weekly. The film is set to begin shooting next spring and is being directed by Charlie Stratton, who also penned the adaptation.
Set in 19th century Paris, “Therese Raquin” tells the story of a young woman who is forced into a loveless marriage with a sickly first cousin by her overbearing aunt, Madame Raquine, following the death of her mother. She then begins a passionate and tragic affair with her husband’s friend and co-worker Laurent. The novel was originally published in serial format in 1867 to great critical and commercial success and has since been adapted several times in various formats, with Zola himself writing a stage version several years following the book’s release.
Olsen’s other upcoming films include director Bruce Beresford’s “Peace, Love & Misunderstanding” opposite Jane Fonda, Catherine Keener, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Chace Crawford (which Drew and Gregory unfortunately named one of the worst films at this year’s TIFF), as well as Rodrigo Cortes’ (“Buried”) “Red Lights” with Sigourney Weaver and Robert De Niro. Neither film has yet secured a U.S. release.