PIERCE BROSNAN is to star as a Northern Irish World War Two veteran in the upcoming film The Last Rifleman.
The Irish actor will play Artie Crawford, a veteran living in a care home in Northern Ireland who has just lost his wife.
The film - directed by Terry Loane - is based on a true story, about WWII veteran Bernard Jordan who, at 89-years-old, sneaked out of his care home in East Sussex, and jumped on a ferry to France before making his way to Normandy for the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings in June 2014.
He wanted to pay his final respects to his late comrades who died on the beaches of France.
Principal photography for the film will begin this winter in Northern Ireland as well as south of the border.
It was written by Kevin Fitzpatrick and is produced by Katy Jackson and John Leslie. Mark Huffam, Kevin Jackson, Nick Leese, Eloise Singer and Tommy Curran will executive produce.
"When I first read Kevin's screenplay, I found it to be a beautifully touching story with an honest heart and soul," said Loane.
"It is the script that directors search for: a powerful, character-led drama that perfectly balances heart and pathos.
"The personal price paid by those in the aftermath of war is something that resonates with all ages, all over the world.
"With the recent anniversary of the end of WWII, I feel the timing is perfect to tell this story, while an ever-diminishing handful of veterans are still with us to share their lives."
Writer Fitzpatrick said that Jordan's story "highlighted the spirit that epitomised the Second World War generation".
"I was enthralled by this story and the motives that drive a man near the end of his life on a quest to a place that must hold only painful memories," he added
