Kirsten Dunst Cast in Lars von Trier's Melancholia

Kirsten Dunst has been cast in new sci-fi disaster movie Melancholia.

The 27-year-old actress will star alongside Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland and Udo Kier in the film, which will be directed by Lars von Trier. Shooting on the film begins in the south of Sweden in July, with a projected release date of 2011.

Penelope Cruz had initially been considered for Dunst’s role before signing on for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, according to Deadline.com

Melancholia tells the tale of a group of people dealing with the death of Earth, and von Trier has previously revealed the film will not have a happy ending.

Dunst is currently filming romantic drama Upside Down with Jim Sturgess and Jayne Heitmeyer and will next star in mystery movie All Good Things alongside Ryan Gosling and Frank Langella.

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