Diane Kruger lands Helen of Troy role

The long search for a unique face that could portray antiquity's greatest beauty, Helen, in the epic movie Troy, is finally over. Warner Bros Productions Ltd, Village Roadshow Pictures and the Maltese company Latina Pictures Ltd announced that actress Diane Kruger, who resides in Paris, has landed the part.

Other members of Troy's stellar cast have been known for a while, but it was only recently that the female protagonist to be the "face that launched a thousand ships" was identified.

Kruger may not be that renowned, but she has been picked to star by Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom, Julie Christie and Peter O'Toole in Wolfgang Petersen's Troy, which is being shot in Malta for around eight weeks from early May.

"Diane is not only a stunning beauty, but also a gifted actress, with tremendous emotional depth and presence," said Troy's director Wolfgang Petersen (The Perfect Storm).

"The role of Helen is charged with the grandeur of history and legend. I am confident that Diane has the charisma and artistry that Helen's compelling character demands.

"The addition of Diane to the production completes our major casting," he said, pleased to welcome her to the cast, as the exciting challenge of filming the movie kicks off in the weeks ahead.

Born and raised in Germany, Kruger studied in London with the Royal Ballet before an injury ended her dance career. She returned to her native country and became one of its best known photographic models before moving to Paris at the suggestion of film-maker Luc Besson, where she began her acting career opposite Dennis Hopper and Christopher Lambert in the independent production The Piano Player, released last year.

Kruger began 2003 on screen, starring in the Cesar-nominated French film Mon Idole and is starring in another French feature, Michel Vaillant, to be released in the summer.

She recently completed her major American film debut, starring opposite Josh Hartnett in an as-yet-untitled MGM-Lakeshore Entertainment production, slated for theatres later on in the year.

As regards the local cast, Edward Mercieca, Troy's casting director for Malta, said the production team was being understandably fussy and picky about any Maltese actors. Such a big-budget movie was prone to being "very particular" about the local cast, he said, adding that in the end, "we would be lucky to have two, or three Maltese actors, with a line or two".

Scripted by David Benioff (The 25th Hour), Troy is based on the classic Greek epic, The Iliad, by Homer.

Apart from Malta, it is also being filmed in England and Los Cabos, Mexico, with principal photography scheduled to begin on April 22 in England. The $150 million film is intended for worldwide release by Warner Bros Distribution in May, 2004.

Troy has applied to the Maltese and UK governments for co-production status - between Warner Bros UK and Latina Pictures - which allows the film to qualify for incentives from both countries, co-producer Winston Azzopardi explained.

At the moment, 375 Maltese are employed on the building of the set and 60 British crew are already in Malta.