Knightley Close to Signing On to "Notebook" Director's New Film

Nick Cassavetes, who directed The Notebook, has signed on to direct the Film Department's love period piece called The Beautiful and the Damned.

Cassavetes has reportedly already named the actress that he wants to play Zelda in the film. That actress is none other than Keira Knightley, who seems to be the queen of the period pieces (minus a little series that we call "Pirates of the Caribbean").

Knightley is currently in negotiations to star in the film.

The story of Damned revolves around the aforementioned Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald (who wrote The Great Gatsby), and their relationship when they become the rock stars of the '20s.

The relationship has extremely high points, but then plummets after a long stretch of jealousy and acrimony. Fitzgerald's case was also not helped when he used things from his and Zelda's relationship as material.

In Hanna Weg's screenplay, Zelda attempts to find her artistic side, but she fails - being admitted into a sanitarium.

The film figures to begin shooting in April.