Naomi Watts to Play Ballet Dancer Margot Fonteyn in New Film

Naomi Watts will star as ballet dancer Margot Fonteyn in Margot & Rudi, a romantic drama that tells the true story of Fonteyn's work with fellow ballet performer Rudolf Nureyev, Deadline reports.

The film follows ballet legend Fonteyn, who, at 42, feels that her career might be over. She finds a creative partnership in Nureyev, a 23-year-old rebellious Soviet defector. Together, they ignite the stage and become icons of the Swinging Sixties. 

Director Anthony Fabian (Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris) is helming the project, which hails from WestEnd Films. Watts will star alongside Alexandr Trush, principal dancer with the Hamburg Ballet, who will play Nureyev. The cast also includes Richard E. Grant, Demián Bichir, and Harriet Walter.

The screenplay was penned by Olivia Hetreed (Girl with a Pearl Earring, 2011's Wuthering Heights). The creative team also includes hair and makeup designer Karen Hartley Thomas, choreographer Arthur Pita, and Costume Designer Fotini Dimou.

Watts herself studied dance before pursuing her acting career, which led her to roles in films like Mulholland Drive, The Ring, The Impossible, and Birdman, along with television roles in Feud: Capote vs. The Swans, All's Fair, and FX's Love Story.