Kenneth Branagh In Talks To Play Sir Laurence Olivier In 'My Week With Marilyn' Starring Michelle Williams

First announced last winter, Michelle Williams is attached to play blonde bombshell Marilyn Monroe in the forthcoming film “My Week With Marilyn.” The film, set to be directed by Brit TV veteran Simon Curtis, is based on the diary of Sir Laurence Olivier’s employee Colin Clark, who in 1957 looked after Monroe when she arrived in London to film “The Prince And The Showgirl” with Olivier. Monroe and Olivier clashed on the set of the film and while Clark published excerpts of his diary in 1958, he left the portion about his week with Monroe unpublished. In 2002, those entries finally saw the light of day and are now the basis for the film.

With the film now eyeing a late September start, Production Weekly reports in their latest issue that Kenneth Branagh is in talks to play the iconic British actor, Sir Laurence Olivier. We like the casting idea, but we imagine Branagh’s involvement will depend on how far along/how close to the finish line he is on “Thor” and if Marvel will be happy with him taking off for a few weeks with its May 6, 2011 release date looming.

Earlier in the year, Jake Jagger was in talks for the role of Colin Clark, but it’s not certain if he has been selected for the role. More news should come down the line as the film gets closer to going into production.