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Brookie babe goes to Hollywood
Last updated at 00:00am on 10.09.03
Ellison: hitting Hollywood
Soap star turned pop starlet Jennifer Ellison has landed a part in the Hollywood version of Phantom Of The Opera.
The former Brookside actress will star alongside Minnie Driver in the big-screen adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's famous musical.
Ellison, 20, will play Meg Giry, a young friend of the heroine Christine.
The £25million film is being directed by Joel Schumacher, whose previous credits include Phone Booth and Batman Forever.
Lord Lloyd-Webber is producing the film, which begins shooting at Pinewood studios later this month.
Scottish actor Gerard Butler, who recently starred opposite Angelina Jolie in the second Tomb Raider movie, plays the disfigured Phantom.
American newcomer Emmy Rossum, who is just 17, takes the lead role of Christine and Driver plays opera diva Carlotta. British actors Miranda Richardson and Simon Callow also appear.
An estimated 70 million people have flocked to see Phantom Of The Opera since it opened in 1986. With takings of more than £1.8billion, it is the world's highest grossing musical.
