Been awhile since we’ve had a juicy new film rumour to discuss. According to The Independant, Natalie and Ellen Page have been offered the role of Augustina De Aragon, who inspired the Spanish resistance against Napoleon’s army. She eventually became a commander of the Spanish army. Read about her life, which even includes a prison break, at wikipedia.

If you’re excited about her story and this project (and not wringing your hands while shouting “does she plan to play every damn Spanish female role from the 1800’s?”) you might want to hold off on the cartwheels just yet. Because if the report is accurate, the main contender for the role is Natalie Tena (Harry Potter).

Click on to read the full article, which includes the possible male co-stars.

Spanish/US production outfit Intervision Partners is in advanced negotiations with The Weinstein Company to put together a major project billed as the “Spanish Joan Of Arc”.

The film will tell the story of Agustina Raimunda Maria Saragossa Domenech, a famous Spanish heroine who defended her country’s independence during the Peninsular Wars against Napoleon.

British-born journalist Richard Thompsett, now based in the US, has written the script, which picked up best screenplay at the Orlando Hispanic Film Festival.

Casting is underway with Natalia Tena (who appeared in the last and upcoming Harry Potter films) as Intervision Partners’ first choice to play Agustina. “She would be perfect because she’s British but her parents are Spanish. We have also approached Ellen Page and Natalie Portman for the role,” says Max Montalvo, a Spanish based producer with Intervision Partners.

Other cast members being considered are Daniel Radcliffe to play a young Lord Byron, Cillian Murphy, Joseph Fiennes or Jonathan Rhys Myers for the role of LT, General Sir Arthur Wellesley (later Duke of Wellington), and Penelope Cruz, Salma Hayek or Eva Mendez to play the role of Agustina’s older sister.

“We are hoping to shoot the film this year in either Lithuania or Malta with a couple of weeks in Zaragoza on location,” adds Montalvo. “But we’ve been told Radcliffe is not available until 2010 so we might have to wait. Hopefully if Tena says yes, he’ll want to take on the role as well.

I’m going to mail my sources and see if anything sticks. Stay tuned.