'Outlander' star Sam Heughan to play Paul Newman in upcoming film
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sam Heughan, best known for his role in the drama series "Outlander," will be portraying iconic American actor Paul Newman in an upcoming film.
The Scottish actor, 39, confirmed the news on social media Tuesday. "So excited to share this!" he wrote. "Paul Newman was immensely talented, generous and an American icon. So fortunate!"
The film, which is wrapping filming soon, is a biopic of actress Patricia Neal and her husband/author Roald Dahl, who are being played by Keeley Hawes and Hugh Bonneville, respectively.
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“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,” the film’s producers told Deadline in a statement.
Newman co-starred with Neal in 1963 movie "Hud," for which she won an Oscar and he was nominated.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Heughan, left, Newman, right. (AP)
According to Deadline, the film takes place in the early 1960s period when Dahl, who wrote "Charlie And The Chocolate Factory," and Neal ("Breakfast at Tiffany's") lived in the English countryside to raise their young family.
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"The somewhat unlikely pair – an in-demand Hollywood actress and a burgeoning children’s author – find their relationship put to the test, and ultimately strengthened, by tragic events," the logline reveals.