In November 2000, director Michael Winterbottom will premiere his adaptation of The Mayor of Casterbridge. This modernized version will have the characters set in the California Gold Rush and will star Nastassja Kinski and Milla Jovovich.
Hardy's hometown of Dorchester is the model for Casterbridge in the novel. Hardy's upbringing played a heavy influence on his writing, and the setting and themes for many of his novels are based on his experiences in the English countryside.
