Posted: Mon., Jul. 13, 2009, 8:44am PT

Gruffudd banks on 'Mr. Toad'

Morton in discussions to play Grahame's wife

By Ali Jaafar

Gruffudd

LONDON -- Ioan Gruffudd has boarded U.K.-based HSL Studio's Kenneth Grahame biopic "Banking on Mr. Toad" with Samantha Morton in discussions to play the author's wife Elspeth.

Helmer Bruce Beresford is attached to direct the project, which charts Grahame's journey from his job as the secretary of the Bank of England during the era of industrialization at the end of the 19th century through to his authoring of classic children's book "The Wind in the Willows."

Project will also explore Grahame's relationship with his autistic son.

"The Wind in the Willows" has remained a perennial fave with Brit kids ever since its publication in 1898.

HSL chief exec Timothy Haas, who co-wrote the script with Wendy Oberman, is producing with plans for lensing to begin in Ireland later this year.