Kidman and Fiennes begin 'The Reader'

Nicole Kidman has been cast as a mysterious woman who may be a Nazi war criminal in 'The Reader'

Following the underwhelming box office performances of 'Bewitched', 'Fur' and now 'The Invasion', Nicole Kidman is in urgent need of a hit, so it's not surprising she’s turning to screenwriter David Hare and director Stephen Daldry for her next film. After all, the three combined to win Kidman a best actress Oscar for 'The Hours' in 2003, and their latest collaboration sounds just as award-friendly.

Based on Bernhard Schlink’s bestselling novel of the same name, 'The Reader' is set in post-war Germany and revolves around Michael Berg, a teenager who embarks on a tempestuous love affair with an older woman, only to discover that she may have been involved in Nazi war crimes.

Kidman will play the mysterious woman in question, while Ralph Fiennes has also been cast in the film, with early word suggesting he will play the grown-up Berg.

'The Reader' will shoot in Berlin next month for release at the end of 2008, though before then Kidman may well be back on track with fantasy flick 'The Golden Compass' and Baz Lurhmann’s period epic 'Australia' both hitting screens.

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