Is Madonna's W.E. Just Julie & Julia Crossed With Marie Antoinette?

Perhaps! When reports surfaced that Madonna was planning to direct W.E., from a twisty script co-written by the pop icon herself and Truth or Dare director Alek Keshishian, the first thing that sprang to mind -- besides "whuck?" -- was the structural similarities to Julie & Julia (though probably with more sex and less butter). After all, the film jumps between parallel narratives: one involving Edward the VIII (Ewan McGregor) and his abdication of the throne to marry American socialite Wallis Simpson (Vera Farmiga), and the other centering on a modern-day woman (Abbie Cornish) who is obsessed with all things Simpson. (Romance geeks or Neil LaBute superfans will also note quite a bit of similarities with the 2002 film, Possession.) But now comes word that Madge is also cribbing a device from Sofia Coppola...

According to one report, Madonna plans on using semi-contemporary music to score the period pieces her the film. And not just any music, but that of the Sex Pistols:

She has the Sex Pistols song 'Anarchy in the UK' blasting away during a scene set in 1935. In another segment, she has the Duchess, now 70, twisting away to The Sex Pistols' 'God Save The Queen' as her pugs nip at her heels, while her husband, the former King Edward VIII, lies dying on the other side of the room.

Lack of originality aside, this does sound pretty promising -- least of all because it could be the first time in nearly a decade that Ewan McGregor actually appeared in something good.

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