Gillian Anderson: All About Eve, London 2018

Another year, another bold new show by Dutch director Ivo van Hove.

This time he joins forces with the luminous Gillian Anderson to bring 1950s film All About Eve to the stage. Though the casting has not yet been officially confirmed, the Daily Mail's Baz Bomigboye reports the rumour that Anderson is in talks to take the lead. She would replace Cate Blanchett, who pulled out of the production due to 'scheduling conflicts' and will instead be starring in a new play at the National Theatre.

After A View From the Bridge, Hedda Gabler, and Obsession, London apparently has an insatiable appetite for van Hove's avant-garde interpretations of classic stories. In turn, the theatre-maker's mighty reputation attracts actors of the highest calibre (Mark Strong, Ruth Wilson, Jude Law, to name just a few).

2019 sees Emmy, Golden Globe, Evening Standard and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning actor Gillian Anderson return to the London stage. With a career that spans The X Files to a smouldering Blanche DuBois at the Young Vic, she has the kind of talent that sells out theatres and keeps audiences captivated.

Anderson is due to play Margo Channing, the role made famous by Bette Davis on the silver screen in 1950. Since dominating at the Oscars, Cannes Film Festival and Golden Globe awards, All About Eve has become a bonafide classic and a regular on any list of 'greatest movies of all time'. It tells the story of Broadway megastar Margo, who's nearing 40 and anxious about the longevity of her success. Enter beautiful young Eve Harrington, a besotted fan and aspiring actress, who wheedles her way into Margo's life with first flattery, then alarming ruthlessness.

It's a story about the stage, the need for applause and the intense demands of live performance, so the theatre feels like a natural home for All About Eve.

Prepare for a stark interpretation from Ivo van Hove, who has made minimalist interiors and abstract, suspended time zones his trademark. With big egos, manipulation and obsessive ambition, All About Eve is shot through with the psychological intensity so prevalent in van Hove's productions.

The run dates and theatre are still to be confirmed, but with powerhouse producers Sonia Friedman Productions and Fox Stage Productions behind the project, you can be certain All About Eve will be a beg-steal-or-borrow-a-ticket hit. Make sure you book early.

Watch this space for dates and ticket booking information.

Film still from All About Eve, 1950