Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander starring in Hope

Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander are to star in the thriller 'Hope'.

The husband and wife are set to play key roles in the new feature from the South Korean filmmaker Na Hong-jin.

The predominantly Korean-language movie follows the residents of Hopo Port, where a mysterious discovery is made on the outskirts of the remote harbour town.

The residents soon find themselves in a desperate fight for survival against something that has never been encountered before.

It is understood Fassbender and Vikander will speak English in the film and were keen to feature after being impressed by the director's previous work – which includes the 2016 hit 'The Waiting'.

It will mark the second time the couple have featured together in the same film after 'The Light Between Oceans'.

Additional casting and pre-production is underway for a shoot later this year in South Korea.

Korean producer-distributor Plus M Entertainment are providing financial support for the project.

Na said: "Oftentimes, a person's goodwill can lead to unintended catastrophe simply because of differences in perspective. My hope for this film is to cinematically capture that phenomenon in a way that has yet to be seen."

On the decision to finance the movie, Plus M said: "Director Na's new project 'Hope' is not only a high-quality film but an enthusiastic project that has the potential to expand its IP to various content distribution channels.

"Above all, we've decided to invest in this project because we have the utmost trust in director Na's creative vision. Plus M will collaborate and support 'Hope' to make it a global success."