According to the Daily Express newspaper, Oscar winning actress Kate Winslet is the first choice for German filmmaker Bernd Eichinger’s upcoming project. Should she get the role she would star as Austrian kidnap victim Natascha Kampusch who was 10 years old when she was abducted on her way to school. The Guardian details the story that will be adapted for screen by Eichinger:
Following her capture, Kampusch spent eight years living at the home of her captor, communications technician Wolfgang Priklopil, before finally escaping in August 2006. For much of that time, she was imprisoned in a cellar beneath the garage, although neighbours also reported seeing her in the garden. At one stage, she even accompanied Priklopil on a brief skiing holiday.
While Winslet is an accomplished actress, there a couple of obstacles that would get in her way should she want the role. The first is that Natascha Kampusch was 18 years old when she escaped her kidnapper and Winslet is currently 34. This possibly could be overlooked if Winslet was interested in the role. Afterall Emma Thompson was 36 when she played the 20 year old Elinor Dashwood in the 1995 film Sense and Sensibility. The second is that she would need to play an Austrian woman, unless Eichinger plans on adapting it in an English setting. All things considered it seems unlikely that Winslet would accept the role.
Aceshowbiz is also reporting that Christoph Waltz is rumored to be taking on the role of Priklopil in the currently untitled movie, which is scheduled for a 2012 release. Having seen his thoroughly engaging performance as Col. Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds, it’s clear that Waltz would be able to successfully undertake the role of Priklopil.
Eichinger remains best known as a film producer. His recent credits include the Recent Evil and Fantastic Four pictures, along with the Oscar-nominated German drama The Baader Meinhof Complex.
What do you think of Kate Winslet possibly playing the role of an 18 year old?