Millie's Davis Cast in Branagh's "Magic Flute" Film

By Andrew Gans
August 21, 2005

Ben Davis, whose Broadway credits include Les Misérables, Thoroughly Modern Millie and Baz Luhrmann's La Bohème, has been cast in the film version of "The Magic Flute."

The Hollywood Reporter says that Davis will play the birdseller Papageno in the film, which will be directed by four-time Oscar nominee Kenneth Branagh. The company will also include Joseph Kaiser as Prince Tamino, Amy Carson as Princess Pamina, Rene Pape as Sarastro and Lyubov Petrova as the Queen of the Night.

"Flute," according to the industry paper, "chronicles the adventures of Prince Tamino and his sidekick, Papageno the birdseller, as they battle evil forces to rescue Princess Pamina." The film adaptation of Mozart's 1791 two-act opera was penned by Branagh and Stephen Fry. Shooting will begin in January 2006, although the music for the film will be recorded sometime this fall.

The film, which has a $20 million budget, is being produced by Pierre-Olivier Bardet and will mark the screen debuts of Davis, Kaiser and Pape.

Branagh has previously directed film versions of As You Like It, Love's Labour's Lost, Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing and Henry V.