'Downton Abbey' Actress Cast As Cinderella

Hollywood Crush

'Downton Abbey' Actress Cast As Cinderella

Cinderella's glass slippers may not have been to Emma Watson's liking, but they'll do just fine for Lily James.

The "Downton Abbey" actress has been cast as the fairy tale princess in Disney's live-action film, the studio announced today. Lily will star opposite Cate Blanchett as the evil stepmother in Kenneth Branagh's production.

In addition to her turn as Lady Rose MacClare on the British drama, Lily's appeared in the film "Wrath of the Titans" and on the TV series "Secret Diary of a Call Girl."

The journey to a storybook ending for "Cinderella" has been a windy one. The production was originally envisioned as a much darker tale to be helmed by Mark Romanek, but it later received a Mouse House-friendly makeover with Branagh behind the camera. For her part, this could be a star-making turn for Lily, who's something of an unproven entity in Hollywood.

Happily ever after, TBD.

Are you ready to live happily ever after with a re-imagined "Cinderella"? Tell us in the comments and on Twitter!

more info...