Cinderella (2015 American film)

Cinderella is a 2015 romantic fantasy film directed by Kenneth Branagh from a screenplay by Chris Weitz. Produced by Walt Disney Pictures, Allison Shearmur Productions, Beagle Pug Films, and Kinberg Genre, it is a live-action adaptation of the classic story, which had been brought to the big screen before in Disney's 1950 animated film Cinderella. Starring Lily James as the title character, the ensemble cast includes Cate Blanchett, Richard Madden, Stellan Skarsgård, Holliday Grainger, Derek Jacobi, and Helena Bonham Carter.

Development for Cinderella began in May 2010, with producer Simon Kinberg and screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna attached to the project. Mark Romanek was initially set to direct in August 2011, but was fired by January 2013 due to creative differences with Disney and was replaced by Branagh, while Weitz was hired to revise McKenna's script. Casting began in November 2012, with Blanchett being the first actor to be cast. James signed on to portray the title role in April 2013, and the rest of the cast joined between May and September 2013. Principal photography took place at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, England, from September to December 2013.

Cinderella premiered at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival on February 13, 2015, and was released theatrically in the United States on March 13 in standard and IMAX formats by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It grossed over $543 million worldwide, becoming Branagh's highest-grossing film to date as a director. The film received positive reviews from critics, and was nominated for costume design categories at the 88th Academy Awards, 21st Critics' Choice Awards, and 69th British Academy Film Awards. The film also increased James' Hollywood profile, making the titular character her breakthrough role. It is also the live-action film involving a Disney Princess that has the lowest production budget and to have received the most positive reviews from critics and audiences.