Minnie Driver joins Kelvin Harrison Jr, Samara Weaving and Lucy Boynton in Chevalier

We had earlier reported that a de Saint-Georges biopic titled Chevalier is in development with Kelvin Harrison Jr playing the titular role and Lucy Boynton playing Marie Antoinette. The latest is that actor Minnie Driver has been roped in to play a major role in the film.

Written by Stefani Robinson, the biopic will be helmed by Watchmen director Stephen Williams. The cast of the film also includes Samara Weaving.

de Saint-Georges, born in 1745 in the French Caribbean, was the illegitimate son of an African slave and a French plantation owner. He rose to improbable heights in French society, dazzling as a violinist, a  composer and a champion fencer. However, an ill-fated love affair with a French noblewoman and a falling out with Marie Antoinette and her court led to his untimely downfall.

Driver will play La Guimard, a favorite dancer of Marie Antoinette who took exception to the Chevalier’s rise.

Chevalier will be produced by Element Pictures, Robinson and Dianne McGunigle.

Driver is all set to appear in the second season of Amazon’s anthology series Modern Love. She will also star alongside Camila Cabello, Pierce Brosnan, James Corden and Billy Porter in Amazon’s Cinderella. She was last seen in the comedy film Speechless and has made several guest appearances on NBC’s Will & Grace.