Carey Mulligan wins coveted role in The Great Gatsby

London (ANI): Bride and Prejudice star Carey Mulligan has bagged the coveted role of Daisy Buchanan in a Hollywood remake of The Great Gatsby amid a stiff competition from other actresses. The adaptation of F Scott Fitzgerald's novel attracted the attention of Hollywood's top actresses, including Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman and Rebecca Hall.

But Director Baz Luhrmann laid his eyes on Mulligan because her audition was perfect. “Regarding the role of Daisy Buchanan, I was privileged to explore the character with some of the world's most talented actresses, each one bringing their own particular interpretation, all of which were legitimate and exciting," the Telegraph quoted him as saying.

“However, specific to this particular production of The Great Gatsby, I was thrilled to pick up the phone an hour ago to the young Oscar-nominated British actress Carey Mulligan and say to her, ''Hello, Daisy Buchanan''," he added.

The actress was so thrilled after hearing the news that she reportedly burst into tears on the red carpet while attending the New York fashion gala. Mulligan is hot property in Hollywood following her Oscar-nominated performance in An Education. She appeared in the Wall Street sequel and has been tipped for a second Oscar nomination next year with Never Let Me Go.

Leonardo DiCaprio is in negotiations for the role of Jay Gatsby, the Long Island millionaire whose rise and fall mirrors the decadence and Great Depression of the 1920s while Tobey Maguire will play Nick Carraway, narrator of the novel.