‘Outlander’ and ‘The Durrells’ stars join Hugh Bonneville in Roald Dahl movie

An incredible cast of period drama stars has been assembled for a film about Roald Dahl.

The upcoming biopic has been in development since 2017, when it was first announced that Hugh Bonneville would star as the famous British children’s author.

Originally titled An Unquiet Life, and based on Stephen Michael Shearer’s book of the same name, the movie finally began filming in Surrey, England last autumn.

Roald Dahl is the writer of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The Witches, The BFG and many more classic stories.

Bonneville will play Dahl in the early 1960s as the author struggles to write some of his most famous works.

The English actor is best known for his role as the Earl of Grantham in all six seasons of Downton Abbey and last year’s hit movie.

Producer Donall McCusker (The Hurt Locker) has promised “a warm, funny and powerful script that we know is going to resonate with audiences throughout the world.”

Set in New York, England and Los Angeles, the movie will focus on Roald Dahl’s marriage to American actress Patricia Neal, who won an Oscar for 1963’s Hud.

Dahl married the Breakfast At Tiffany actress in 1953, but the couple later divorced in 1983.

It was announced last November that Neal is being played by Keeley Hawes (The Durrells).

The Bodyguard star said: “The story of Patricia Neal and Roald Dahl is extraordinary, and I’m so excited to be part of it and so looking forward to working with the brilliant Hugh Bonneville and the hugely talented John Hay, who has provided us with such a beautiful script.”

Bonneville and Hawes are joined by another face that’ll be familiar to British period drama fans.

Sam Heughan (Outlander) will be playing American actor Paul Newman, star of Cool Hand Luke and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Newman co-starred with Patricia Neal in Hud.

Producer Donall McCusker commented: “We are delighted that Sam has joined us, he is the perfect actor to play Paul Newman and a terrific addition to our already wonderful cast.”

Teasing the story, director John Hay added: “Roald Dahl and Patricia Neal seemingly had it all until an unimaginable event threatened to tear their family apart.”

The film will be released in cinemas later this year.

Stephen Michael Shearer’s book Patricia Neal: An Unquiet Life is available on Amazon.