Claim: Lily James stars in Cinderella.

Cinderella is a 2015 American romantic fantasy film directed by Kenneth Branagh , with a screenplay written by Chris Weitz . The film is based on the eponymous folk tale and inspired in part by Walt Disney 's 1950 animated film . The film stars Lily James as the titular character with Richard Madden , Cate Blanchett , Stellan Skarsgård , Holliday Grainger , Derek Jacobi and Helena Bonham Carter . It is produced by David Barron , Simon Kinberg and Allison Shearmur for Walt Disney Pictures .   Cinderella had its world premiere on February 13 , 2015 , at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival and was released in theaters on March 13 , 2015 . It grossed over $ 543 million worldwide , becoming Branagh 's highest-grossing film to date , and received mostly positive reviews . The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Costume Design at the 88th Academy Awards .