Nicole Kidman's off to Monte Carlo

Can you buy that Nicole Kidman is a dowdy, quiet schoolteacher who quits a boring package holiday in Paris to fake a life as a rich holidaymaker in Monaco? We’re not sure either, but after that nose in The Hours, we’re sure she can turn her hand to it.

Because that’s the plot of Monte Carlo, a Fox film she’s just signed on to star in and produce. The Family Stone’s Tom Bezucha is directing and has co-written the adaptation of Jules Bass’ novel Headhunters with Maria Maggenti.

When he’ll get to make it is dependent on Kidman’s ever-busy schedule and his own slate – he’s also working on adapting John Nance’s book Orbit with Sheldon Turner.

The novel sees a bloke winning a trip to space on the shuttle, only to wake up adrift and alone after the rest of the crew dies. "The project is a totally different kind of film for Tom, but the core of the story is the relationship stuff he's so good at," Turner blabbed to Variety. "The scope of the film is enormous, but at heart, this is a family drama about a guy who was in orbit long before he went into space, when he lost his son."