Oscar winner Maggie Smith to topline “Lady in the Van” stage hit adaptationJune 4, 2014 - 13:43 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Dame Maggie Smith is driving her van to the big screen. The Oscar-winning actress will reprise her role in a film adaptation of the West End stage hit “The Lady in the Van,” a dramatization of writer Alan Bennett's memoir, TheWrap said. Smith plays Miss Shepherd, “an eccentric woman of uncertain origins, who ‘temporarily’ parked her broken down van in Bennett's London driveway… and proceeded to live there for the next fifteen years.” Alex Jennings will play the Bennett character, as well as his alter ego, AB. The film, which is being distributed by Tom Rothman's TriStar Productions with investment coming from the BBC. It will be directed by Nicholas Hytner, who who previously worked with Bennett on “The Madness of King George” and “The History Boys.” Damian Jones (“The Iron Lady,” “Belle”) and Kevin Loader (“Venus,” “In the Loop”) will produce along with Hytner. “‘The Crucible,’ ‘The Madness of King George' and ‘The History Boys' are among the films in my career of which I am the most proud,” Rothman said in a statement. “Nick is rarely gifted and the chance to work with him and Alan again is sweet indeed. They make brilliant things. And Maggie Smith and Alex Jennings bring such intelligence to glorious life.” Top stories The creative crew of the Public TV had chosen 13-year-old Malena as a participant of this year's contest. She called on others to also suspend their accounts over the companies’ failure to tackle hate speech. Penderecki was known for his film scores, including for William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist”, Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining”. The festival made the news public on March 19, saying that “several options are considered in order to preserve its running” Partner news | Viva-MTS: Tech solutions to modernize infrastructure of border village The border village has been the focus of Viva-MTS and the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Values since 2015. Ucom's fixed network launched in Artashat To mark this occasion, the company has introduced a special offer exclusively for Artashat residents. “By Your Side”: IDBank's new support program for displaced Artsakh citizens IDBank is launching a long-term social support program for forcibly displaced Artsakh residents. The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. |