Keira Knightley is a Sugar Plum Fairy in Disney’s Nutcracker

Keira Knightley is the Sugar Plum Fairy in the first images from Disney’s The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. In addition to Knightley, the movie stars Morgan Freeman, Mackenzie Foy, and Helen Mirren and is set to hit theaters late next year. Until then, fans are stuck waiting for any piece of the film that they can get. Now, that includes a never before seen image of Knightley in character.

The film is a retelling of the classic fairy tale and ballet, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. The original story has been around for a very long time and has a strong support of built-in fans already. While the film is still almost a year away from hitting theaters, Disney has already begun its marketing push by releasing the first look images from the project.

EW has been given an exclusive first look at Keira Knightley dressed in her Sugar Plum Fairy costume. The image shows Knightley with pink hair, holding hands with the film’s main character, Clara (Foy). Knightley has already developed a good relationship with Disney, having been part of their Pirates of the Caribbean franchise since it began. EW also published an additional image featuring only Foy, which you can check out below:

While the film is already in post-production, Disney is holding off on releasing it until next year, due to the original story being that of a holiday-themed adventure. While Knightley portrays the Sugar Plum Fairy, the role of Clara is portrayed by 17-year old Mackenzie Foy who you probably know best from her role in Interstellar. Morgan Freeman plays the part of Clara’s godfather, while Helen Mirren portrays Mother Ginger. The movie is set to be inspired by the original tale, but not a recreation of it. Instead, it will be a more dramatic version of the original story, somewhat like how the film version of The Chronicles of Narnia was inspired by the original novel.

While Disney has been jumping on the live-action bandwagon after the success of movies like The Jungle Book and Beauty and the Beast, the company is set to have a big year in 2018. From Marvel to Pixar and its own in-house animation studio, the company has several major projects hitting theaters in 2018. As to whether or not The Nutcracker and the Four Realms will be able to hold its own compared to Disney’s other 2018 movie releases, that remains to be seen.

As mentioned though, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King already has a built-in fanbase, in addition to some major A-listers leading the charge. No doubt, a Disney backed version of The Nutcracker – starring Keira Knightley as the Sugar Plum Fairy – is bound to attract some attention, when it arrives.

KEY RELEASE DATES
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms release date: Nov 2, 2018