CARTER AND COBWEBS

After having played the most devious landlady north of the Loire, Helena Bonham-Carter has been selected to don a torn bridal gown and perish in a chateau fire.

Helena Bonham-Carter as Miss Havisham

Readers of Dickens's Great Expectations are well-acquainted with the cold-hearted Miss Havisham, who harbours an irrational hatred for males in general since her bridegroom jilted her on their wedding day.

Old Miss Havisham, a more sympathetic villainess than Madame Thénardier, will be played by Carter.

The film, the newest retelling of the timeless Victorian classic, is due to premiere in Europe in late March 2013.