Naomi Watts Joins Clint Eastwood’s ‘J. Edgar’

We recently mentioned that Charlize Theron was being considered for a role in Clint Eastwood’s biopic, J. Edgar, but that there was a chance she might go for the part of the Evil Queen in Snow White and the Huntsman instead. Well, Deadline is now reporting that this is exactly what happened. Charlize moves on and frontrunner Naomi Watts steps into the shoes of Helen Gandy, J. Edgar Hoover’s loyal secretary for 54 years who kept his closest secrets guarded and even influenced the workings of the FBI. She also made sure to destroy Hoover’s personal files after he passed away. These files reportedly contained enough information to blackmail some of the most powerful people in Washington D.C.

Starring alongside Watts are Leonardo DiCaprio as J. Edgar Hoover, Josh Lucas as Charles Lindbergh and Damon Harriman as Bruno Hauptmann, who was accused of kidnapping Lindbergh’s baby in 1932. Judi Dench is also connected with the film, although there’s still no info on the role she’ll play.

J. Edgar is being produced by Clint Eastwood, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and Rob Lorenz. It’s expected to open in theaters in 2012.