Angelina Jolie is to star as Marilyn Monroe in a new film about the Hollywood bombshell, it has been revealed.

The 35-year-old actress is set to play Monroe in an adaptation of Andrew O'Hagan's The Life And Opinions Of Maf The Dog, And Of His Friend Marilyn Monroe, the author revealed at the Edinburgh Book Festival yesterday. And George Clooney has been lined up to play Monroe's close friend Frank Sinatra, O'Hagan confirmed, adding that production on the film would begin soon.

While Scarlett Johansson and Christina Hendricks had previously been in line for the role, it was eventually decided Jolie would be the best choice to play Monroe in the new film.

O'Hagan's novel tells the story of Monroe's final two years before her death in 1962 through the eyes of her pet Maltese terrier Maf - a gift from My Way singer Sinatra in 1960.

As well as meeting Monroe's friends including former U.S. President John F. Kennedy, Maf also accompanied the star to acting classes and restaurants.

When she received the dog from Sinatra, Monroe decided to call it Mafia - a joke reference to Sinatra, before shortening the name to Maf, or Maf Honey.

In the book, written entirely from Maf's perspective, the canine comments: “She was an artist to her fingertips... a strange and unhappy creature, but at the same she had more comedy to her than anybody I would ever know. More comedy and more art.”

When Monroe died in August 1962 aged 36, Maf was inherited by Sinatra's secretary Gloria Lovell.

It has not yet been revealed who will be voicing Maf in the movie.

Jolie is currently in London promoting new movie Salt, in which she stars as CIA agent Evelyn Salt, and will appear at the premiere in Leicester Square tonight.

Speaking about the possibility of starring in a sequel of the film, which has already proved a box office hit in America, Jolie said: 'I'd love to do a sequel. You never know if you're going to get the chance, if audiences are going to love it.

'But particularly with this character, I think there is so much yet to explore in her life with her - with her family, with coming to terms with who she is in the end, because of the way it's set up, she could be anybody.

“As an actress, and somebody who loves to travel, it would be nice to be able to explore the world with her.”

（相關(guān)中文報(bào)道）

好萊塢當(dāng)紅女星安吉麗娜-朱莉又將挑戰(zhàn)自己演藝生涯的新高度，她將在一部講述傳奇女星瑪麗蓮-夢(mèng)露生命最后兩年生活的電影中飾演夢(mèng)露。

這部電影改編自作家安德魯-奧哈根《小狗瑪法和它的朋友瑪麗蓮夢(mèng)露的生活》一書(shū)，通過(guò)一只和夢(mèng)露親密接觸的馬耳他犬瑪法的眼睛，講述了夢(mèng)露生命最后兩年 (1960年-1962年)的生活故事。35歲的朱莉終于得到了與偶像親密接觸的機(jī)會(huì)，而據(jù)奧哈根確認(rèn)，著名演員喬治克魯尼將在電影中飾演夢(mèng)露的密友弗蘭 克辛納特拉。

據(jù)美國(guó)官方資料披露，夢(mèng)露與辛納特拉交往甚密，夢(mèng)露之死與他有莫大的關(guān)聯(lián)，小狗瑪法便是辛納特拉送給夢(mèng)露的禮物。在奧哈根的書(shū)中，瑪法伴隨夢(mèng)露出入酒店等等社交場(chǎng)合，甚至見(jiàn)到了緋聞中的約翰-肯尼迪總統(tǒng)。

劇本借狗狗瑪法的口吻談到了對(duì)夢(mèng)露的看法：“她是一位純粹的演員，一個(gè)特立獨(dú)行又悶悶不樂(lè)的美麗女人；與此同時(shí)，她的一生也充滿著戲劇性?！?/p>

正在倫敦宣傳新片《特工邵特》的安吉麗娜-朱莉得知這個(gè)喜訊后感到受寵若驚，她稱自己非常愿意嘗試這一角色，而夢(mèng)露的神秘和傳奇賦予了這一角色極大的可塑性。