After Thor, Kenneth Branagh could have had pretty much his pick of projects, but instead he opted for the small thriller Italian Shoes. He's now busy putting together an illustrious cast for the project, with Variety reporting that Anthony Hopkins and Judi Dench are in talks to star.
Richard Cottan is writing the script, which is adapted from a novel by Henning Mankell (who also wrote the Wallander books, whom Branagh playedin the English TV version). The plot follows a retired surgeon (Hopkins), who has become a recluse on a private island in Sweden. The doctor must confront the mistakes of his past when he is reunited with a former lover (Dench).
Production will start at the end of 2012 or early 2013, depending on when both actors are available.
Kenneth Branagh is also attached to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society for Fox 2000 and The Boys in the Boat for The Weinstein Company. Those projects are still in early stages of development, so it's quite possible that Italian Shoes will shoot first.