Monday Movie Report: Emma Watson joins star-studded ‘Little Women’ cast

A new adaptation of the book “Little Women” has swapped Emma Stone for Emma Watson.

According to Empire Magazine, Stone, an Oscar winner for her work in “La La Land,” had to leave the project because of scheduling issues. As a result, the film has attached Emma Watson to take her place in the same role.

Empire reports that the film will be written and directed by Greta Gerwig, who helmed last year’s movie “Lady Bird.” So far, the rest of the cast includes Academy Award winner Meryl Streep, Golden Globe winners Laura Dern and Saoirse Ronan, and Oscar nom Timothee Chalamet.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, “Little Women” centers around four sisters and their mother in the midst of the Civil War. The story was previously adapted into a film in 1994, with a cast including Winona Ryder, Susan Sarandon and Kirsten Dunst.

Watson was last featured in “The Circle” and the live action “Beauty and the Beast.”

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At the North American box office, it was another great weekend for the romantic comedy “Crazy Rich Asians.” The picture once again easily took the No. 1 spot with more than $24 million. That amount was well ahead of the giant shark movie “The Meg” as well as the other newcomer “Happytime Murders.”

The full top five this weekend was:
1. Crazy Rich Asians – $24,808,202
2. The Meg – $12,812,615
3. The Happytime Murders – $9,532,425
4. Mission: Impossible Fallout – $8,087,385
5. Mile 22 – $6,366,042

For the upcoming weekend, meanwhile, new releases include the youth sci-fi “Kin” and the historical drama “Operation Finale.”

On the small screen, new releases this week include:

• Book Club, my rating: 3.0 out of 5, Large Association of Movie Blogs rating: 2.88 out of 5, Rotten Tomatoes rating: 53%.
• Tag, my rating: 1 out of 5, Large Association of Movie Blogs rating: 2.64 out of 5, Rotten Tomatoes rating: 55%.
• RBG, Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 94%.
• Upgrade, Large Association of Movie Blogs rating: 3.60 out of 5, Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 86%.
• A Kid Like Jake, Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 53%.
• American Animals, Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 86%.