As soon as the first photo of Meryl Streep done up as Margaret Thatcherwas released, the conventional wisdom was that the Best Actress Oscar race was all but over. Maybe not.
"Albert Nobbs," which stars Glenn Close as a woman living as a man in order to make a living as a butler in 19th-century Ireland, has been picked up by Liddell Entertainment and Roadside Attractions, who intend to release the film in the fall, reported Deadline.
Close first played the role on Broadway in the '80s and serves as producer on the film version, which she co-wrote with John Banville, and was directed by Rodrigo Garcia ("Mother and Child"). The cast also includes Mia Wasikowska (who could be in the running for "Jane Eyre"), Aaron Johnson, Janet McTeer and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. We're guessing a trailer is right around the corner.
Close has been nominated for an Oscar five times, twice for leading roles and three times for supporting roles, but has never won, and it's been 22 years since she was last in the running. But then her career suddenly stalled--she continued to make some good films, and didn't lose her chops, but she stopped making the kind of films that grabbed people.
But her career got a nice boost when she joined the cast of "The Shield" for a season in 2005, which helped land her the lead in "Damages," which made her a star all over again, wining her two Emmys.
Now the big question is how will Academy voters decide between a someone living a cross-gender life and a controversial historical figure?