Sir Kenneth Branagh to voice Charles Dickens in The King of Kings

Sir Kenneth Branagh will lend his voice to Charles Dickens in 'The King of Kings'.

The 63-year-old star is to play the celebrated author in the new movie that is inspired by the lives of both Dickens and Jesus Christ.

Uma Thurman also features in the cast as the 'Great Expectations' scribe's wife Catherine Dickens while 'Jojo Rabbit' actor Roman Griffin Davis voices the couple's youngest son Walter.

'The King of Kings' is inspired by the Dickens short story 'The Life of Our Lord', which was published in 1934, more than six decades after the author's death.

It tells the story of Dickens and Walter as they – along with their cat Willa – become immersed in the story of Jesus.

Producer Anfernee Kim said in a statement: "It is through the Dickens family that our audience experiences the life of Jesus Christ, and Kenneth Branagh, Uma Thurman and Roman Griffin Davis bring all the emotion, awe, heart and gravitas to these essential characters.

"These three actors are at the core of our story, and anchor a truly impressive cast – many of whom we look forward to sharing in the near future."

Kenneth has had success both in front of and behind the camera as a director but revealed that he struggled to secure financial backing for his 2021 coming-of-age picture 'Belfast' - which is based on his own childhood experiences of fleeing Northern Ireland in 1970 when The Troubles started.

Reflecting on Steven Spielberg's praise for the film, he said: "If you’re trying to raise money for a black-and-white film about The Troubles in 2021, I can tell you, it’s not something people have a huge enthusiasm for.

"I’ve gone from people saying, 'Hey, it’s a lovely script but nobody’s going to see this, Ken,’ to Steven saying that. It was a hell of a journey.'"