'Wadjda' Director Haifaa Al Mansour to Helm Mary Shelley Romance 'A Storm in the Stars'

Haifaa Al Mansour's sweet and charming coming-of-age film Wadjda (it should've been Oscar-nominated, but whatever) was important for a number of reasons. Not only was it the first ever by a Saudi Arabian woman and the first to be filmed within the country, but the story of a young girl asserting herself in a male-dominated society has helped influence a small change in Arab culture. Al Mansour is a special new filmmaking voice, and now she's found her next project.

Al Mansour will direct A Storm in the Stars, a period romance penned by Emma Jensen. The fascinating premise  follows "the tumultuous love affair between dangerously charismatic poet Percy Shelley and the brilliant and beautiful 18-year-old Mary Wollstonecraft." The latter would become better known as Frankenstein author, Mary Shelley.

When we spoke to Al Mansour she had expressed a desire to continue working within Saudi Arabai for her next feature, which she hoped to pen herself. Looks like that isn't happening as A Storm in the Stars will likely shoot in Europe later this year. [Deadline]

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