Keira Knightley and director Joe Wright in a new look at the lavish production of their new film 'Anna Karenina'

'I've watched Keira mature as an actor,' says Joe Wright, left. 'She was 18 when we made
Pride & Prejudice and 21 when we did Atonement. I've watched her turn into an amazingly strong woman'

Joe Wright's Anna Karenina (starring former Pride & Prejudice stars Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen) is just a little over a month a way (September 7th) from its UK Cinema release, while the US theatrical release has been slightly pushed back a week to November 16th, promotional rounds for this film is now ongoing (and exciting to follow at the same time) with more promotional, behind the scenes, and image stills and 2 new articles (including one last Friday from Baz Bamigboye of UK's Mail Online: Keira Knightley: Freeze up on set? Not anymore! with two new Keira Knightley stills from the film) now from the film has been released via UK's the Daily Mail Online.

The new AK article from UK's Mail Online takes an exclusive look at the lavish production of this much anticipated film. It has some new stills and behind the scenes photos of Keira Knightley as the title character Anna Karenina and also has a new photo of her and her frequent collaborator and director Joe Wright.

Check out and read the AK article and new stills of KK and behind the scenes from Anna Karenina below...

Keira Knightley in Anna Karenina: An exclusive look at the lavish production directed by Joe Wright

Anna Karenina, the heroine of Leo Tolstoy’s 1873 masterpiece, has been played by some of the world’s most iconic actresses: Greta Garbo, Vivien Leigh, Marlene Dietrich and Ingrid Bergman.

This autumn, Britain’s Keira Knightley will join this roll-call in a production so lavish it puts her previous costume dramas in the shade.
The film is the latest collaboration between the 27-year-old Pirates Of The Caribbean star and director Joe Wright, a partnership that has resulted in Baftas and Oscar nominations for Pride & Prejudice and Atonement.

Original plans were for a period adaptation shot on location in Russia. Then, just 12 weeks before filming, Wright made an audacious U-turn. ‘It was pretty radical,’ says Knightley. ‘We were going to St Petersburg and Moscow. Then all of a sudden I got a call from Joe asking, “Can you come round here please?” 'I live round the corner from him so he took me into his office and explained, “There’s been a bit of a change of plan.” He said, “It’s all set in a theatre now…” And the viewer watches the drama unfold as if sitting in the stalls.’

Anna Karenina, the story of an aristocratic wife and mother in 19th-century Russia who embarks on an all-consuming affair, is a largely British production.

Knightley is joined by Jude Law (unrecognizable as her elder-statesman husband Karenin) and Aaron Johnson (her passionate young lover Count Vronsky), while the film is produced by Tim Bevan of Working Title.


Sir Tom Stoppard was wooed to write the screenplay by the combination of Knightley and Tolstoy.

‘You need a clever actress to play Anna Karenina and Keira has very good instincts,’ says the 75-year-old playwright. ‘And she is extraordinarily beautiful.’


The result is a radical cinematic conceit that may divide critics. ‘What’s the point of doing a safe adaptation?’ asks Knightley. ‘If you’re going out you might as well go out with a bang.’

‘Anna Karenina’ is released on September 7

NEW Anna Karenina production stills and BTS photos
featuring Keira Knightley

Chanel loaned the film production of Anna Karenina jewellery in 18-carat gold, diamonds and pearls. The most valuable piece, the Camelia Poudré necklace is worth £800,000

In one scene, the theatre is transformed into a frozen lake. Olympic ice skater Robin Cousins' company was hired to help. 'It took three days to freeze it, then we shot on it for a day,' says production designer Sarah Greenwood

Costumes were inspired by Fifties fashion designers such as Dior and Balenciaga. Keira Knightley had 16 different outfits and each dress took 40 hours to create

Original plans were for a period adaptation shot on location in Russia. Then, just 12 weeks before filming, Joe Wright made an audacious U-turn

Trains are a central theme and the Heritage Rail Museum at Didcot doubled as Moscow railway station

Read more here!

(Anna Karenina images source: UK's Mail Online)