Joe Wright to helm 'In The Garden of Beasts' adaptation

The "Darkest Hour" filmmaker Joe Wright is in talks to helm another period drama, an adaptation of Erik Larson's "In the Garden of Beasts".

Wright, also known for his adaptations of "Atonement", "Pride & Prejudice" and "Anna Karenina", will helm the film for StudioCanal and Tom Hanks' Playtone Productions, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Larson's non-fiction best-seller was earlier optioned for Hanks and Gary Goetzman to produce via the duo's Playtone banner. Hanks has been eyeing the project as a possible starring vehicle, though there's no word yet on a role.

The book tells the true tale of William Dodd, the reluctant and mild-mannered US ambassador to Germany in 1933, and his daughter Martha, a vivacious socialite who had romantic affairs with a Gestapo official and a Soviet spy. Dodd and his family at first naively navigated life in Nazi Germany (Dodd's daughter was excited when Adolf Hitler kissed her hand), but they slowly gained awareness of the mounting brutality around them.

--IANS

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