Anthony Hopkins and Judi Dench to star in Italian Shoes, directed by Kenneth Branagh

It's been a busy year for Kenneth Branagh, but also one that's seen his career veer off in unexpected directions. For one, he was the oddball choice to direct Thor, Marvel's superhero film centered on the god of Thunder and his earthbound misadventures. Branagh's theatrical, Shakespearean background proved to be a perfect fit, and the film was a certifiable hit. While Branagh won't be coming back for the sequel, it put him in a place he's never really been before, which is on the radar of comic book geeks everywhere. Branagh followed that up by starring as Laurence Olivier in My Week With Marilyn, which has a ton of Oscar heat for it's star, Michelle Williams.

But now Branagh is moving back behind the camera, and he's calling on two of the stars of both those movies to join him, as Variety reports Anthony Hopkins and Judi Dench are in talks to star in Italian Shoes. Branagh, who is directing based on a script by Richard Cottan(Margaret), said he's banking on his long established history with them to get them aboard. Hopkins played Thor's father, Odin, in the superhero film over the summer. Judi Dench was Dame Sybil Thorndike in the Marilyn Monroe biopic. She's also worked with him on numerous other occasions, like in Henry V and Hamlet. Branagh developed the film with only these two actors in mind, which is a pretty good place to start if you ask me.

Based on the 2006 novel by Swedish author Henning Mankell, the story centers on a surgeon, forced into retirement and now living in isolation on a remote island in Sweden. When a figure from his past suddenly returns, he's forced to confront old secrets and the event that led to the loss of his career.

Depending on scheduling, filming could begin at the end of 2012 or early 2013.