Gwyneth Paltrow is a DANISH GIRL for Director Thomas Alfredson

Gwyneth Paltrow is leaving Pepper Potts and becoming Greta Wegenar. Having just wrapped “Iron Man 2,” Paltrow is now signed on to appear in “The Danish Girl,” the story of the world’s first post-operative transsexual. Co-starring Nicole Kidman as the titular character and directed by Thomas Alfredson (”Let the Right One In”), the movie is back on track after the sudden departure of the original Greta, Charlize Theron. Hit the jump for more.

According to Variety, the film, which is based on the fictionalized account by David Ebershoff, will focus on the relationship between Greta and her husband, Einar Wegenar. Setting aside for the moment the historical accuracy of a film based on a book based on real events, “The Danish Girl” looks like it could be a powerful drama. Greta was a painter and one day she asked her husband to stand in for a model. The fact that he was able to stand in successfully probably should have been a warning sign but I guess hindsight is 20/20. From that point, Einar began to transform mentally and, through surgeries, physically, into a woman. To say that the marriage became strained would be an understatement.

The movie is expected to be released in either 2010 or 2011, probably depending its prospects for the awards season. Regardless of the final product, the trailer is sure to be interesting. I’m predicting “The Time Traveler’s Wife” meets “Iron Jawed Angels.”