"William Tell" has filmmaker in its sights

By Borys Kit

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Cue the William Tell Overture.

British filmmaker Justin Chadwick, who directed Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson in the royal romance "The Other Boleyn Girl," will take the helm of "Ironbow: The Legend of William Tell" for indie producer Spyglass Entertainment.

The story centres on a crossbow marksman who, when he would not bow to Austrian rule, was forced to shoot an apple off his son's head in exchange for freedom. The local overlord who commanded the act noticed that Tell had a second arrow in his quiver, which Tell told him was meant for the overlord if the son was killed. Tell was promptly arrested but eventually escaped and killed the overlord, sparking a rebellion that led to the formation of the Swiss Confederation.

The Tell legend has been a popular story for screen translation. The most recent effort was last year's German-language "Tell."

Jay Wolpert ("The Count of Monte Cristo," "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl") wrote the script for the Spyglass version.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter