John Curran to direct "The Beautiful and the Damned"

John Curran is set to direct "The Beautiful and the Damned," a Film Department period drama that will star Keira Knightley. It begins production in March, with a release date of 2010. (Curran is pictured with Mark Ruffalo on the set of "We Don’t Live Here Anymore.")

Instead of big wigs and giant dresses, Knightley will play Zelda Fitzgerald in the 1920s. "The Damned and the Beautiful," penned by Hanna Weg, follows the turbulent marriage of writer F. Scott Fitzgerald and his schizophrenic wife Zelda Sayre.

It seems unbelievable that Keira Knightley is only 23. She’s done so many movies!

And Fitzgerald has become quite the hot property in Hollywood these days. "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" was inspired by his short story, and Baz Luhrmann recently acquired rights to turn "The Great Gatsby" into a new film.

Curran previously helmed "The Painted Veil" and "We Don’t Live Here Anymore."

Image: Warner Independent Pictures, 2004; Source: Variety.com