Julia Roberts to star in `The Normal Heart`

London: Hollywood actress Julia Roberts has been roped in to star in Ryan Murphy`s new film ‘The Normal Heart’. The Oscar-winning actress is being joined by Alec Baldwin, Matt Bomer and Jim Parsons in the movie, which chronicles the rise of the HIV/AIDS crisis in New York in the 1980s. In the film, Roberts will play the role of wheel-chair bound doctor Emma Brookner, reports contactmusic.com. Larry Kramer has written the script for the movie, which is being adapted from the theatre show of the same name. Mark Ruffalo has already been signed up for the role of Ned Weeks in the movie. Alec Baldwin will portray Mark`s brother, a lawyer who is struggling to deal with his sibling`s sexuality. It will be the second time Ryan and Julia have worked together following the success of ‘Eat Pray Love’. IANS