Judi Dench, Anthony Hopkins to star in `Italian Shoes`

Los Angeles: Actress Judi Dench and `The Silence of the Lambs` actor Anthony Hopkins are in talks to star for lead roles in `Italian Shoes`.

The film is directed by Kenneth Branagh and he thinks that Dench and Hopkins are tailor-made for the pair. Branagh has previously worked with both stars, reported Mirror online. Hopkins starred in director`s `Thor`, while Dench appears alongside him in `My Week with Marilyn` and forthcoming film `J. Edgar`. The 50-year-old actor-director thinks their casting for `Italian Shoes` takes advantage of his long relationship with the pair. "The nuance, delicacy and flavour is so based on the perfect casting," Branagh said. `Italian Shoes` is based on a novel by Swedish author Henning Mankell and will begin shooting in late 2012. It follows the story of a retired surgeon who resides on a remote island in Sweden before a reunion with an ex-lover forces him to confront his past. PTI