Cinematical (via Production Weekly) has reported an interesting bit of casting news, saying that Zooey Deschanel is set to star as computer programmer Ada Lovelace in Enchantress of Numbers. The film is scheduled to start shooting this fall and will be directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Bruce Beresford (Tender Mercies, ‘Breaker’ Morant, Driving Miss Daisy).
Lovelace, who died prematurely at age thirty-six, was most recognized for creating a program for Charles Babbage’s designs for general-purpose computers, or analytical engines. The title most likely comes from a poem that Babbage, who admired Lovelace’s intellectual skills, wrote about her in 1843, just nine years before she passed away:
Forget this world and all its troubles and if
possible its multitudinous Charlatans — every thing
in short but the Enchantress of Numbers.
This period drama is clearly a departure from the screen persona Deschanel has created for herself up until this point, and it is interesting that she would choose to delve into these new waters after 2009’s release of 500 Days of Summer, arguably her best film to date.
Nevertheless, Deschanel is a terrific screen presence, and the combination of her and Beresford‘s proven talent behind the camera make Enchantress of Numbers a project to keep an eye on.
Do you think this is a good role for Deschanel?