Naomi Watts to Star as Ballerina Margot Fonteyn in Romantic Drama ‘Margot & Rudi,’ With WestEnd Films Selling in Cannes

Apr 22, 2026 7:00am PT Naomi Watts to Star as Ballerina Margot Fonteyn in Romantic Drama ‘Margot & Rudi,’ With WestEnd Films Selling in Cannes By Leo Barraclough Plus Icon Leo Barraclough International Features Editor LeoBarraclough Latest Indian Filmmaker Payal Kapadia to Be President of the Jury for Critics’ Week in Cannes 1 hour ago Lebanon-Set ‘Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep’ Boarded by Salaud Morisset Ahead of Premiere in Un Certain Regard at Cannes 1 day ago Karlovy Vary, the World’s Second Oldest Film Festival, Prepares to Celebrate 80 Years Since First Festival, and Its 60th Edition 1 day ago See All Naomi Watts is set to star in romantic drama “Margot & Rudi,” which tells the true story of ballet legends Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev. The film, to be directed by “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris” filmmaker Anthony Fabian, has been boarded by world sales agency WestEnd Films . The story unfolds when Fonteyn, the greatest ballerina in the West, is 42 and sensing her career is over. Nureyev is 23, a rebellious Soviet defector — magnetic, explosive, unstoppable. Together, they ignite the stage and become icons of the Swinging Sixties. Fonteyn is reborn by Nureyev’s wild energy, but their bond is complicated by her marriage and his affair with another dancer. To preserve what they have, they will risk everything for one defining ballet—because the only place they can truly be together… is on stage. Related Stories How to Watch the 'Laguna Beach' Reunion Special Online Free