‘Bel Ami’ Casting Complete and Filming to Begin February 7th

Over the last few months, pre-production on Robert Pattinson’s Bel Ami has been charging forward as we’ve covered the casting of Christina Ricci and Uma Thurman/Kristin Scott Thomas. Now that the casting of the major players has been completed, we’ve been told principal photography on Bel Ami is scheduled to begin Feb­ruary 7th and they’ll be filming in London and Budapest.  Here’s the synopsis:

Bel Ami is the story of Georges Duroy (Robert Pattinson), who travels through 1890s Paris, from cock­roach ridden garrets to opulent salons, using his wits and powers of seduction to rise from poverty to wealth, from a prostitute’s embrace to passionate trysts with wealthy beauties, in a world where poli­tics and media jostle for influence, where sex is power and celebrity an obsession.

The other bit of news we were informed of is exactly who each actor is playing in the film and some more casting info. Here’s what we were sent:

Robert Pattinson plays Georges Duroy in this eroti­cally charged story of ambition, power and seduction. Uma Thurman (Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill) is Madeleine, Kristin Scott Thomas (Nowhere Boy, I’ve Loved You So Long) is Virginie, Christina Ricci (Monster, The Ice Storm) is Clotilde, Holly Grainger (Scouting Book for Boys) is Suzanne, Philip Glenister (Life on Mars, Calen­dar Girls) is Charles, and Colm Meaney (The Damned United, The Snapper) plays Duroy’s adversary, Rous­set. The screenplay is written by Rachel Bennette from the novel by Guy de Maupassant, and the film is directed by the influential and innovative Cheek By Jowl directors Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod.

BEL AMI is produced by Uberto Pasolini (The Full Monty, Machan) with Simon Fuller as executive pro­ducer. The director of photography is Hagen Bogdanski (The Young Victoria, The Lives of Others); Attila F. Kovacs (Sunshine, Meeting Venus) is production designer; the costumes are designed by Odile Dicks-Mireaux (An Education, The Constant Gardener); the hair and make-up designer is Jenny Shir­core (The Young Victoria, Elizabeth: The Golden Age) and the editor is Masahiro Hirakubo (The Duchess, Trainspotting). source