Cannes: Lily Rabe Cast as Mary Pickford

Lily Rabe has been cast to play Mary Pickford in an untitled film about the actress's life, and producers are currently taking meetings about additional casting at the Cannes Film Festival.

With the movers and shakers of the industry all in one place, Poverty Row Entertainment, headed by Julie Pacino and Jennifer DeLia, have decided to start taking casting considerations for five key roles: Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, Charlotte Hennessy, Frances Marion, and D.W. Griffith.

According to director DeLia, Rabe was chosen after they saw her perform on stage.

"Like Lily, Mary Pickford's inner-fabric was made up in big part by her experiences with live performances in the theatre," DeLia said. "For the role, we knew that we wanted someone who embodied those same qualities and who has truly experienced that seamless crossover as an actress."

The movie, which will be the first major feature film about Mary Pickford's life, is set to start production in early 2013.

With all the distribution deals taking places at Cannes, who knew that casting was happening too? Keep up with all the fun at the Cannes Film Festival by checking out daily reports on BackStage.com and follow @BackStageCast on Twitter for live updates.