Emma Watson Takes First Post-Potter Role In 'My Week With Marilyn'; Dominic Cooper & Derek Jacobi Also On Board

With the "Harry Potter" franchise finally starting to wind down after eight mega-grossing movies in ten years, its cast are starting to move on. Daniel Radcliffe has just kicked off the ghost story "The Woman In Black," while Rupert Grint's had a variety of roles in movies like the indie "Cherrybomb," and the Bill Nighy/Emily Blunt comedy "Wild Target." But Emma Watson, who plays Hermione in the films, has taken relatively few big-screen roles outside the day job, with only a voice in the animation "The Tales of Desperaux" to her name.

Watson has expressed ambivalence about continuing acting past the series, instead enrolling at Brown University in the States. However, it would seem that she's not quite done yet as it is announced that she will take a small role in "My Week With Marilyn," the adaptation of Colin Clark's memoir of his time as Laurence Olivier's assistant on the set of "The Princess and The Showgirl," and more specifically his friendship with Marilyn Monroe, who co-starred in the film.

There's already a strong cast in place, with Eddie Redmayne starring as Clark, Kenneth Branagh as Olivier, Michelle Williams as Monroe, and Judi Dench as veteran actress Sybil Thorndike. Watson will play Lucy, a costume assistant who has a brief romance with Clark -- a part that will apparently take only a few days to film, allowing her to fit it in with her college schedule.

A handful of other actors have also been added; Dominic Cooper will be pulling double-duty as "Captain America" films next door, as producer Milton Greene, while Derek Jacobi will play a royal librarian. Phillip Jackson ("Little Voice") will play a private detective working for Monroe, Zoe Wanamaker ("Harry Potter") will be Olivier's acting coach, and Jacobi's real life partner Richard Clifford ("Much Ado About Nothing") will play actor Richard Wattis.

Director Simon Curtis has been behind some of the best of recent British TV, and with a very good cast, we're looking forward to this, so long as it can provide real insight into Monroe and Olivier, rather than just coming off as a gossipy behind-the-scenes drama. [Daily Mail]