Lord of the Rings actor Viggo Mortensen has been tapped to star in the drama Captain Fantastic.
Production on the film is set to begin this summer and Matt Ross will helm the film, according to Deadline, who first reported the casting news.
Electric City Entertainment's Jamie Patricof and Lynette Howell will produce the movie. The production company previously worked with Ross' 2012 directorial debut 28 Hotel Rooms. The film was shown off at Sundance and starred Marin Ireland and Chris Messina.
Captain Fantastic follows Mortensen as a father returning to society with his six kids after deciding to live out in the woods for years.
Ross spoke glowingly of the actor: "Viggo Mortensen's dedication to his craft and to the world of the story he's telling have been an inspiration to me for years." He added, "there is a depth to his art that I greatly admire. Any film he's in I want to see."
The director also noted that getting the actor to sign on for the new film is "quite literally the best thing that's happened to me since my wife asked me to marry her."
Earlier in the week it was announced, reports CBC News, that Mortensen, along with Orphan Black star Tatiana Maslany and Jason Priestley, would be presenters at the upcoming Canadian Screen Awards.
The awards ceremony is also set to honor director David Cronenberg with the lifetime achievement award.
image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
