Miranda Hart joins Disney’s The Nutcracker adaptation

British actress Miranda Hart will provide a little comedy relief in Disney’s live-action movie adaptation of classic ballet The Nutcracker.
The Call the Midwife star, who broke into Hollywood with a role in Melissa McCarthy’s 2015 comedy Spy, has been tapped to play fairy Dew Drop.
She joins a star-studded cast which includes Morgan Freeman, Mackenzie Foy, top ballerina Misty Copeland, and Keira Knightley as the Sugar Plum Fairy.
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms will be based on the original story by E.T.A. Hoffmann, titled The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, which was turned into a Tchaikovsky ballet.
The tale centres on a Nutcracker doll which comes to life on Christmas Eve and introduces a young girl, called Clara, to a fairytale world of living toys.
Knightley will lead the famous Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy – one of the ballet world’s signature pieces.
The British actress has long been a fan of ballet, and previously shared her love for dance in an interview with the U.K.’s Daily Express, saying, “I adore the ballet, especially Swan Lake. I try to see as many ballets as I can but it’s not something I thought of doing myself. You have to start at it very young, so I missed out and acting was always my thing, but I do love it.”
Helen Mirren was also recently reported to be in talks for an unspecified role in the film, which will be directed by Lasse Hallstrom.
The Disney production is the latest version of The Nutcracker set for the big screen after previous projects at Universal and New Line studios stalled.