German director Wim Wenders is preparing his next film and two stars have lined up to lead the project. James McAvoy is attached to Submergence while rising star Alicia Vikander is in talks.

McAvoy’s involvement was reported by Deadline earlier this month. Variety confirmed this morning that Vikander is in talks to join the film.

Submergence is based on the J.M. Ledgard novel, which held the No. 2 spot on the New York Times Magazine’s 10 Best Books of 2013 list. It is about two lovers who are stuck in near-death experiences in far off regions of the world. While one is captured by Somali jihadists, the other is stuck underwater in a submersible. The script was written by Erin Dignam.

Vikander is become a star just over the past few months, thanks to performances in Ex Machina and The Man From UNCLE. She also starred in A Royal Affair and Testament of Youth. She can currently be seen in The Danish Girl with Eddie Redmayne and has earned Oscar buzz for her role. Her next film is the fifth Bourne film.

Submergence is the latest project for Wenders, whose films include Paris, Texas and Wings of Desire. He was just nominated for an Oscar for co-directing the documentary The Salt of the Earth.