Dogme 95 co-founder Thomas Vinterberg (The Hunt) is in talks to direct an adaptation of the Thomas Hardy novel Far from the Madding CrowdDavid Nicholls (One Day) to adapt the screenplay about the three suitors of Bathsheba Everdene: "Gabriel Oak, a shepherd; Sergeant Troy, a handsome soldier; and William Boldwood, a farm owner."  Nicholls adapted another Hardy work, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, as a four-hour miniseries for the BBC in 2008.

DNA Films is producing in conjunction with Fox Searchlight with BBC Films.  The Wrap hears the producers want Carey Mulligan to play Bathsheba.  When John Schlesinger adapted Far from the Madding Crowd in 1967, Julie Christie took the lead role.  I think you can trace a direct line from Christie to Mulligan in the annals of acting, so I'd like to see Mulligan say yes.  Hit the jump for the book synopsis.

Gabriel Oak is only one of three suitors for the hand of the beautiful and spirited Bathsheba Everdene. He must compete with the dashing young soldier Sergeant Troy and the respectable, middle-aged Farmer Boldwood. And while their fates depend upon the choice Bathsheba makes, she discovers the terrible consequences of an inconstant heart.

Far from the Madding Crowd was the first of Hardy's novels to give the name Wessex to the landscape of south-west England, and the first to gain him widespread popularity as a novelist. Set against the backdrop of the unchanging natural cycle of the year, the story both upholds and questions rural values with a startlingly modern sensibility. [Amazon]

far from the madding crowd book cover