Niki Caro has The Vintner's Luck

Since completing 2005’s sexual harassment drama North County, director Niki Caro has been hard at work adapting Elizabeth’s Knox’s angelic fantasy romance novel The Vintner’s Luck.

And now, with a completed script in hand, she’s also tracked down an actress to play one of the leads – Xas, the angelic being who visits an 18-year-old-wine grower. And it’ll be a Whale Rider reunion for Caro, as she’s cast Keisha Castle-Hughes.

Hughes will play Xas, who falls in love (and lust) with Earthly delights and particularly with Sobran (Jeremie Renier). It’s all set in 19th Century France and will start shooting in February next year, across New Zealand, France and Belgium. In addition to her main thesps, Caro has also recruited Gaspard Ulliel, Vera Farmiga and Maria Ruiz to fill out the cast.

So, then… an angel who falls in love with a mortal. Anyone want to guess when the first protests will be heard?

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