If you were wondering what Kristen Stewart was up to lately, wonder no more. The actress has just landed a new role in Steven Shainberg’s The Big Shoe.
Both Elizabeth Banks ( The Hunger Games , Pitch Perfect ), and Stewart are the latest high profile additions to a cast that already features Brit Jim Sturgess ( Cloud Atlas , The Other Boleyn Girl , 21 ), and possibly Susan Sarandon ( Thelma and Louise , Cloud Atlas , The Lovely Bones .)
Nutshelled, The Big Shoe is a story about Nate, a talented shoe designer and foot-fetishist, who is forced to break away from his family who want to turn his designs into mass market knock-offs.
Enter Banks who will play a psychotherapist hired by Nate’s domineering family — presumably to bring him back into the fold — and Stewart who will play Nate’s muse, Delphi.
Historically, Joaquin Phoenix and Mia Wasikowska were in the frame for The Big Shoe a few years ago, but those plans failed to realize. Last year, however, the film was kickstarted back to life when Sturgess took the lead role, Indiewire reports .
Shainberg, known mostly for 2002’s Secretary, explored edgy territory in that film and in his follow-up Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus. So it will be interesting to see where he takes the Mickey Birnaum co-written script of ‘Shoe .
According to Deadline , Shainberg says the film “will combine eroticism and humor in a similar way to dark comedy Secretary ,” which sounds intriguing.
Pre-financing, the film is currently being shopped at the European Film Market in Berlin just as the Berlin Film Festival officially opens its doors today.
The announcement of this film is good news for Stewart and augurs a definite departure from her work in The Twilight Saga juggernaut.
Stewart is also attached to Glen Ficarra and John Requa’s ( Crazy, Stupid, Love ) grifter caper Focus which is slated to start in April. Previously Ben Affleck was set to co-star, however the Argo director and actor was forced to drop out due to other commitments.