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Add the andPOP Facebook Application(andPOP) - "Harry Potter" actress Emma Watson has signed on to star in the period romance "Napoleon and Betsy," replacing Scarlett Johansson.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the 18-year-old Brit will play Betsy Balcombe, a noblewoman who falls in love with Napoleon on the island of St. Helena after the former emperor of France has been exiled there.
The story is based on real events. In 1815, Napoleon was imprisoned and banished by the British to St. Helena, where he lived for a short time at "The Briars," an estate belonging to William Balcombe.
It was there that he befriended the family, including Balcombe's younger daughter Lucia Elizabeth (Betsy), though it is unclear whether the relationship ever crossed over into romance.
It is the first leading film role outside of the "Harry Potter" movies for Watson, who took over from Johannson after the 23-year-old actress was deemed too old for the part.
Johansson is still attached as a producer.
The movie, written and directed by Benjamin Ross, will hit theatres in 2009.
Watson is currently shooting "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," the sixth installment in the hugely popular boy-wizard series.
