Yesterday it was revealed Keira Knightley will play Helene in a movie adaptation of Alessandro Baricco's novel "Silk". Now, KeiraWeb.com has confirmed that Michael Pitt ("Last Days", "Murder by Numbers") has been cast in the male lead.
Pitt will play Herve Joncour, a married silkworm smuggler in 19th Century France who travels to Japan to collect his clandestine cargo. While there he spots a beautiful European woman, the concubine of a local baron, with whom he becomes obsessed. Without speaking the same language, they communicate through letters until war intervenes. Their unrequited love persists however, and Herve's wife Helene begins to suspect.
François Girard will direct from his own screenplay.
