Hollywood Popular Artists

Aug 2nd 2012, 19:30

"The Twilight Saga" might be ending soon, but Kristen Stewart's story is only just beginning. The 22-year-old has just landed a major leading role in "Crazy Heart" director Scott Cooper's upcoming indie "Lie Down In Darkness."

Vulture broke the news, saying that Stewart will play the role of Peyton Loftis. The film is based off William Styron's 1951 novel of the same name that tells the story of the dysfunctional Loftis family set in Virginia in the 1950s.

This isn't the only indie Stewart has starred in that's set in the '50s. She also has Walter Salles' adaptation of "On the Road," which is due out in theaters at some point later this year. Now that her commitment to "The Twilight Saga" is up it's clear that she's reveling in her return to indies.

Though Stewart's character Peyton Loftis is the central character in "Lie Down In Darkness," the story actually takes place during her funeral. The novel is told through a series of flashbacks by other characters, and we're assuming the movie will likely be told in the same fashion. Peyton is the biggest role to be cast, but actors still need to be found for her mother Helen, her crippled sister Maudie, her father Milton, his mistress, Peyton's husband and the Loftis family's black servants.

This is a big grab for Stewart, but it was actually Jennifer Lawrence who was long vying for the role. Lawrence also has spent plenty of time in the indie scene but hit it big when she was cast in the adaptation of young adult sensation "The Hunger Games." In an interview with W back in 2010, she admitted that she was petitioning Cooper for the role of Peyton.

"I am obsessed with that part," she said. "I have this feeling of protectiveness over characters I want to play. I worry about them -- if someone else gets the part, I'm afraid they won't do it right; they'll make the character a victim or they'll make her a villain or they'll just get it wrong somehow."

She continued, "I'm trying to write the director of Lie Down in Darkness a letter to convince him that I should be in his movie. I'll chase him if I have to. I'll sit outside his house. I'm beside myself over that script. When I get like that, anything's possible."

Of course, Lawrence has gone on to have one of the busiest schedules in Hollywood thanks to her commitments to "The Hunger Games" and the "X-Men" movies, so it's no surprise that the role ultimately went to someone else. Up next, Stewart has Nick Cassavetes' "Cali" and she is still attached to "Snow White and the Huntsman 2."

Do you think Stewart will be a good fit for this part? Tell us in the comments section below or on Twitter!

Media files:
snow.jpg (image/jpeg)