Emma Watson will be at the center of ‘The Circle’

Emma Watson has signed on to star in “The Circle,� an adaptation of Dave Eggers’ novel, Variety reports.

Watson will play Mae Holland, the naive staffer whose devotion to The Circle -- a massive tech company that’s like Facebook, Apple and Google combined -- leads her to climb its ranks. She replaces Alicia Vikander (“Ex Machina�), who had been previously announced.

Tom Hanks will also appear in the film, most likely as one of two elder figures who lead the company -- an avuncular Steve Wozniak type and a shark-like businessman -- with a third partner, a young, hoodie-wearing genius.

Other main figures in the satirical novel are Holland’s on-again, off-again, off-the-grid boyfriend, her sweet but outmoded parents, and two new love interests that she meets through The Circle.

Watson, best known for starring in the Harry Potter films, will play a character who is a true believer. As I wrote in my review of the novel, “Holland is an everywoman, a twentysomething believer in Internet culture untroubled by the massive centralization and monetization of information, ubiquitous video surveillance and corporate invasions of privacy.�

Director James Ponsoldt (“The Spectacular Now�) has penned the adaptation. The film is scheduled to begin shooting in September.

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