In some “oh, wow, I totally forgot they were casting that” news, Variety reports that Nicole Kidman has “beaten out some stiff competition” to grab the role of Grace Kelly in Grace of Monaco. That actress is currently in negotiations for the role in Olivier Dahan‘s film, which comes complete with a Black List script from Arash Amel. We’ve know about the project since October, when The Hollywood Reporter said that the film “sets Kelly’s personal story amid the politics of the time, in the vein of The King’s Speech.”

The film will focus on Kelly’s life six years into her marriage to Prince Rainier III (and thus, six years into her princess-hood) and is set between December 1961 and November 1962. That is certainly a compelling time frame in Kelly’s life, marking her adjustment period to royalty and including the very young childhoods of two of her three kids.

Though Kidman would not have been my personal choice for the role, she is a very talented actress, and alas, that brash comment comes without a back-up actress to puff up my claim (perhaps Naomi Watts, who has already been a pick to portray both Marilyn Monroe and Princess Diana?). It is, however, unfortunate news for someone like January Jones, who looks startlingly like a young Kelly. Even more unfortunate – Jones never stood a chance against people like Kidman, who have actual acting chops.