Swapping Tim Burton for Richard Burton, Helena Bonham Carter will play Elizabeth Burton in a new one-off biopic. The 90-minute drama, which will be featured on BBC4, will detail the Oscar-winning actress' tempestuous love affair with fellow actor Richard. Performing opposite The Hours star Dominic West, the plot will revolve around the couple starring in a version of Noel Coward's Private Lives, which also revolves around a divorced couple who share an equally stormy relationship.
Helena, who boasts an impressive filmography, will be taking the television role after a long stint in the film industry. Recently starring in Les Miserables and The King's Speech, the actress was recently awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the London Critics' Choice Circle. Also given a CBE in 2012 for her iconic performances, the Fight Club star quipped that she was surprised to receive her award at such a youthful age.
"It's a nice feeling. It's so weird, because I'm only 46," said Helena. "A Lifetime Achievement award... it feels like 'I'm not over yet'. I hope they're not trying to say it's time to stop. I'm only just getting the gist of it."
Helena is not the star of late to be cast as the star of the silver screen. Lindsay Lohan played the actress in a American TV film Liz & Dick, which was hosted on US TV channel Lifetime. Widely panned by critics, hopes remain high for award-winning actress Helena. The BBC have also revealed a series of other interesting projects in the pipeline.
A TV adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier's Jamaica Inn will be released, as well as a new series, Atlantis, which is being made by the creators of successful TV series Merlin. Dame Elizabeth Taylor married Welsh actor Richard Burton twice in her lifetime, marrying eight different times in total. She won two Oscars during her career, as well as four Golden Globe awards.
