Sienna Miller To Star In BBC Movie About Hitchcock's Obsession

Sienna Miller is set to star as '60s starlet Tippi Hedren in a new BBC film about Alfred Hitchcock's obsession with the actress called, "The Girl."

The 90-minute television film will air on BBC 2 in the UK next year. Miller will play Hedren with Toby Jones playing Hitchcock and a supporting cast that includes Imelda Staunton and Penelope Wilton.

Hedren starred in Hitchcock's signature film, "The Birds" after the famed director spotted her in a soft-drink commercial in 1961. Finding that Hedren could fulfill the "ice blonde" void left in the grisly auteur's heart by Kim Novak and Grace Kelly, Hitchcock signed Hedren to a seven-year contract and featured her prominently in his films, including 1964's "Marnie."

"The Girl" will focus on their tumultuous relationship and Hitchcock's obsession with the young actress. Hitchcock controlled Hedren's public image with alarming detail. He controlled what she ate and forbade her from riding in cars with male co-stars. He also specified that they were only to talk in private and hired costume designer Edith Head to clothe the star.

Hedren broke free from the contract after Hitchcock allegedly threatened to blacklist the actress if she did not sleep with him during the filming of "Marnie."

Hedren would not appear in any major Hollywood roles until Charles Chaplin’s 1967 film, “A Countess From Hong Kong.” Hitchcock went on to make four films that were lacking in emotional intensity, perhaps because his leading lady had run away. View a video of Tippi Hedren talking about "The Birds" below.