Keira Knightley to play Anna Karenina?

Keira Knightley has reportedly been announced as the top contender for the role of Anna Karenina in a new film.

Knightley is said to be under consideration to play the Russian heroine in an adaptation being helmed by Joe Wright, reports the Daily Mail.

Wright also directed the actress in Pride And Prejudice and Atonement, both of which are widely considered to have been two of Knightley's best performances.

Anna Karenina tells the story of a married woman who engages in an affair with an aristocrat. Tom Stoppard (Shakespeare In Love) is writing the script for the big-screen adaptation.