Robert Pattinson, 'A Scoundrel' in 'Bel Ami'?

May 20, 1:24 AMBooks on Film ExaminerConnie Ann Kirk

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Actor/Musician, Robert Pattinson. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles).

According to Variety, Robert Pattinson may soon be starring in a film adaptation of Guy de Maupassant's second novel, Bel Ami.  Depending on the translation one reads (de Maupassant was a French writer who lived from 1850 to 1893), the subtitle of this novel may reveal an insight into Pattinson's likely character, Georges Duroy.  One title is translated:  Bel Ami, Or The History of A Scoundrel.   Robert Pattinson--who played favored Gryffindor champion, Cedric Diggory, in two Harry Potter films and currently stars as the undead romantic lead, Edward Cullen, in the Twilight saga--playing a scoundrel?

Try this excerpt, a description of "scoundrel," Georges Duroy, on for size:  "Despite his sixty-franc outfit, he still retained a certain flashy elegance, a trifle common, but genuine nevertheless.  Tall and well-built, he parted his naturally curly hair--dark blond faintly tinged with auburn--in the centre.  With his curled-up mustache, which seemed to froth over his lip, and his clear blue eyes pierced by tiny pupils, he closely resembled the 'ne'er-do-well' of popular novels."

Can you picture it?  In an interview in Cannes, France, where he is promoting upcoming films at the Cannes Film Festival, Rob describes his role in Bel Ami as "a totally amoral character."  Apparently--if the talk about this project comes to fruition--the casting folks for Bel Ami think Mr. Pattinson can nail 'scoundrel' down pat.

Variety reports that the film will shoot in Paris next year.