Cynthia Nixon to Portray Emily Dickinson

The solitary life of introspective poet Emily Dickinson will be brought to the screen starring Cynthia Nixon and directed by Terence Davies.

The film, titled A Quiet Passion, will follow Dickinson's life "from precocious schoolgirl to the tortured recluse who saw only seven of her more than 1,000 poems published in her lifetime."

Davies says he wrote the screenplay for Nixon. "It was the kind of dream casting you hope for," he says. "I never, for a moment, imagined my wishes would materialize. Cynthia has such a strong feeling for the work -- and now she is our Emily Dickinson. I'm over the moon."

Nixon is equally excited about portraying the mysterious poet "When I read what Terence had written, I was consumed by the character he had so beautifully put on the page," Nixon says. "Emily Dickinson's words and Terence's somehow dovetail to create a heady elixir. When I put the script down, I knew it was a story that I simply have to be part of."

Though Davies is gay and Nixon is bisexual, it's unknown whether the film will delve into Dickinson's own purported bisexuality.

Davies has a distinguished track record coaxing remarkable performances from female actors in his film adaptations, including Gillian Anderson's acclaimed turn in Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth and Rachel Weisz in Terrence Rattigan's The Deep Blue Sea.