Christina Ricci will star in the drama Penelope, which Reese Witherspoon's Type-A Filmsand Scott Steindorff's Stone Village Pictures will produce. The film is due tobegin shooting in January 2006 in Canada.

Witherspoon will play a supporting role in the fable about a youngwoman who sets out to rid herself of a lifetime of bad luck and discover hertrue self.

Mark Palansky makes his directorial debut based on a screenplay byLeslie Caveny. Type A's Witherspoon and Jennifer Simpson will produce withSteindorff.

Stone Village is financing the project, the first in an upcomingslate of titles that will be selected by Steindorff and partners AndrewMolasky, Danny and Robin Greenspun and Glenn Schaeffer.

ICM packaged the deal and brought it to Stone Village vicepresident Dylan Russell, who will serve as executive producer.

"We loved the Penelope script which Type-A developed, and areexcited to be in business with Reese and Jennifer," Steindorff said.

"We look forward to working with Mark Palansky, whose talent andimagination lend itself to this magical film."

Last week Steindorff wrapped the Brazil-set kidnapping thriller Turistas starring Melissa George. Upcomingprojects include Steindorff's passion project - Gabriel Garcia Marquezadaptation Love In The Time of Cholera, and The Tortilla Curtain based on the novel by T CoraghessanBoyle.

ICM's Hal Sadoff and Jeff Berg negotiated the deal Karen Robsonand Jim Janowitz of Pryor, Cashman, Sherman & Flynn for Stone Village.

Christina Ricciis represented by ICM and manager Jason Barrett. Palansky is also representedby ICM.