Emma Watson in talks to play Cinderella Emma Watson could be trying on glass slippers in a new adaptation of "Cinderella." According to Variety, the "Harry Potter" actress is in "very early talks" to play the title role in a live-action version of the fairy tale. The Disney film is being directed by Kenneth Branagh, and Cate Blanchett has already signed on to play the wicked stepmother. The studio hopes to begin production on the film this fall for a 2014 release, Variety reports. "Cinderella" isn't the only fairy-tale revision the studio has in the works. Angelina Jolie is also starring as the villainess from "Sleeping Beauty" in "Maleficent," due to debut in July 2015. Watson, 22, has kept busy since the "Harry Potter" franchise came to an end. She starred in "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," and will be seen in upcoming roles in Sofia Coppola's "The Bling Ring," Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's "This is the End" and Darren Aronofsky's "Noah."