Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley reunite on Wicked Little Letters

Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley are reuniting on 'Wicked Little Letters'.

The two actress starred together in critically-acclaimed drama 'The Lost Daughter' and now they are turning their attentions to lighter fare as they'll play very different neighbours who come together to solve a mystery in the Thea Sharrock-directed comedy.

Jonny Sweet has written the script for the film, which is based on a true story from the 1920s and sees Edith Swan (Colman) and other residents of the seaside town of Littlehampton receive a string of shocking letters, causing fiery Rose Gooding (Buckley) to come under suspicion, leaving her at risk of losing her freedom and the custody of her daughter.

But police officer Gladys Moss suspects something is amiss and joins forces with a group of women to find the truth.

Olivia and her husband Ed Sinclair will produce the film - which is due to start shooting in the UK this autumn - for South Of The River, alongside Studiocanal and Graham Broadbent and Peter Czernin of Blueprint.

The 'Favourite' star said: “Here at South Of The River, we could not be happier to be sitting alongside Studiocanal and Blueprint in bringing this amazing true story to life.

"'Wicked Little Letters' is as hilarious as it is unexpected with beautifully and affectionately drawn characters across the board.

"Jonny Sweet’s script had us hooked from page one. He has a superb eye for ridiculousness and pomposity in his characters, and his background as a stand-up comic lends a real zing to his writing.

"We are thrilled to have Thea Sharrock on board to direct, a filmmaker who will allow our script and characters to fly. In 'Wicked Little Letters' there’s a compelling and modern sensibility bubbling below the recognisable and highly cinematic surface of post-First World War England, which ultimately delivers a satisfying and relevant dramatic gut-punch.”

'Me Before You' filmmaker Thea is delighted to be on board for the project.

She said: “'Wicked Little Letters' is a divine comedy with a profoundly moving core. Hilarious, witty, joyous and based on a true story as relevant today as it was 100 years ago. Watching this film will be like hitting your funny bone; when the tears of pain and laughter are impossible to separate.

"Olivia Colman is hilarious, brilliant and brave. In the part of Edith, she will continue to show her extraordinary dexterity as an actor with her unique ability to make us fall in love with her. In Jessie Buckley we have cast the actress everybody wants to see; her ferociously strong energy will explode the character of Rose onto our screens.

"Following 'The Lost Daughter' our film reunites two of the world’s most exciting, accessible, fun and wild actresses.”