News

Brit-born actress Natasha McElhone, recently seen on the boob tube in Showtime's successful sex dramedy Californication, is reported to have signed up to appear in the period romance Heaven and Earth. Classically trained British thesp James Purefoy is also reported to star.

Heaven and Earth tells the story of Doctor James Miranda Barry, a surgeon in the British army in the 1800s, who is believed to have been biologically a female and therefore the first female Brit to be a medical doctor. Barry's biological sex has long been the subject of debate and dispute, with historians believing he was born a female yet chose to live his adult life as a man in order to pursue success in his chosen career field.

The film will begin shooting in the UK and South Africa in December. It's meaty historical subject matter, but we're sure that McElhone and Purefoy will handle their roles with aplomb.

—The ARTISTdirect Staff
05.12.08