Watson to replace "old" Johansson

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Harry Potter" heroine Emma Watson is attached to star in the period romance "Napoleon and Betsy," replacing Scarlett Johansson who was deemed too old for the role.

Watson, 18, will play Betsy Balcombe, a young, impetuous noblewoman trapped on the isolated British island of St. Helena who falls in love with Napoleon, who has been exiled there.

Johansson, 23, is still serving as a producer. The indie project comes from writer-director Benjamin Ross.

Watson is known for her role as Hermione Granger in Warner Bros.' "Harry Potter" films, and is completing filming on the sixth instalment, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince."

With filming of the last chapter, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," scheduled to commence in early 2009, Watson hopes to shoot "Napoleon and Betsy" in the fall.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter