Rupert Friend joins Blunt in "Victoria"

(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-10-22 14:47

Actress and honoree Emily Blunt poses at the Women in Film 2007 Crystal and
Lucy Awards in Beverly Hills, California June 14, 2007.[Agencies]

British actor Rupert Friend has been cast as Prince Albert opposite Emily Blunt in the historical drama "The Young Victoria."

Jean-Marc Vallee's film follows the romance and marriage of Queen Victoria (Blunt) to her first cousin Albert during her tumultuous 19th-century reign.

Filming is set to begin next month in the U.K.

Friend co-starred with Keira Knightley in "Pride & Prejudice" and with Johnny Depp in "The Libertine," which earned Friend the 2005 British Independent Film Awards honor for most promising newcomer.

"Victoria" is one of more than a half-dozen films Friend is starring in or filming this year, many of them historical dramas. His recent appearances include "The Moon and the Stars," "Outlaw," "The Last Legion" and "Virgin Territory." Upcoming projects include "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas," "Jolene" and "The Other Side."