Pirates of the Caribbean producer Jerry Bruckheimer is heading back to the sea, only this time it will be without Jack Sparrow. Bruckheimer has enlisted Cinderella and Downton Abbey star Lily James to headline Young Woman and the Sea, a biopic about the first woman to swim across the English Channel.
The film is based on Glen Stout's book and will be adapted by Jeff Nathanson, writer of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. James will play Gertrude "Trudy" Ederle who defied years of gender stereotypes by successfully swimming the 21-mile Channel in 1926. Ederle had been an Olympic swimmer who a gold medal at the 1924 Games. Referred to in the press as the "Queen of the Waves", Ederle opened the door for generations of female athletes, but she mostly stayed out of the spotlight after her triumph.
James has been on fire lately, having led Disney's Cinderella to over $500M worldwide. She also appeared recently in Burnt opposite Bradley Cooper, and she'll be seen next in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. [Deadline]
