Lea Seydoux and George MacKay to star in The Beast

Lea Seydoux and George MacKay are to star in 'The Beast'.

The pair will be directed by Bertrand Bonello in the dystopian romance thriller, which will start filming in August.

According to Variety, 'Inglourious Basterds' star Seydoux will appear as Gabrielle, a woman who plans to purify her DNA to immerse herself in her past lives.

But she meets Louis - who will be portrayed by MacKay - and the pair have a powerful connection, despite him appearing to be dangerous.

The film will be shot in French and English and take place between Paris and California.

French actor Gaspard Ulliel - who died in January aged 37 following a skiing accident - was also due to appear in the motion picture.

Seydoux starred as Madeleine Swann in James Bond movies 'Spectre' and 'No Time to Die' in 2015 and 2021 respectively.

In October, the 36-year-old actress admitted she didn't expect to return to the Bond franchise, because she thought Daniel Craig would depart his role as the suave spy after 'Spectre'.

She said: "I didn't know at the end of 'Spectre' that I would come back, I really thought that it was Daniel's last film.

"I didn't get the call until five years later but I was happy because I had the possibility to explore the character more and develop her personality.

"When we see those big films we think they are easy to make in a way but what I have always found incredible is that you really do everything. You have no idea how difficult it is to make a film and it always strikes me.

"It's not only the acting, all the technical aspects are important and on a film like James Bond even more so."