Emma Watson to star in Sofia Coppola’s celebrity burglary flick The Bling Ring

Director Sofia Coppola’s last project SOMEWHERE didn’t seem to make much of an impression on anyone a couple of years ago, though the filmmaker’s talents remain undeniable. Will she fare better this time around with THE BLING RING, a film based on the true story of a group of teenagers who burglarized the homes of several celebrities a few years back?

In Coppola’s corner will be the lovely Emma Watson (THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER, MY WEEK WITH MARILYN), though Variety does not divulge what specific role she will be playing.

The title THE BLING RING is in fact one of a few nicknames (the others being “Hollywood Hills Burglar Bunch”, “The Burglar Bunch”, and the “Hollywood Hills Burglars”) given to a group of seven young kids who burglarized the homes of celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom, Megan Fox, and Lindsey Lohan between the dates of October 2008 and August 2009. Lohan apparently was seen by the group’s ringleader as the “ultimate fashion icon” and her “biggest conquest”.

Will Coppola – who’s set to write as well as direct – get super meta with us and actually have the burglarized celebrities and actors be a part of the film playing themselves? Or will the story focus more on the lives of the individual young burglars and only tangentially touch on the thefts? I kind of hope it’s the former since I’d love to see something weird and whacked out that still makes a comment on celebrity, a subject Coppola seems so completely fascinated by.