Fiennes joins Knightley in period romance

By Stuart Kemp

LONDON (Hollywood Reporter) - Ralph Fiennes will star opposite Keira Knightley in "The Duchess," a British period romance scheduled to begin shooting in London this month.

Based on Amanda Foreman's historical biography "Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire," the film revolves around the lives and loves of an 18th century aristocrat.

The backers, Pathe Prods. and BBC Films, said the story bears uncanny parallels with that of her descendant, Diana, Princess of Wales.

Fiennes is in theaters with "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," while Knightley also had a lucrative summer thanks to "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End."

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter