Theo James starring in Stephen King's The Monkey

Theo James is set to star in an adaptation of Stephen King's 'The Monkey'.

The upcoming horror movie - which is based on the iconic writer's short story of the same name - is being led by 'The Conjuring', 'Saw' and 'Insidious' creator James Wan, while Osgood Perkins has adapted the story and will also direct.

The film follows twin brothers Hal and Bill who find their father's old monkey toy in the attic, which leads to a series of horrific deaths around them.

The siblings throw the monkey away and move on with their separate lives as they grow apart over the years.

However, the mysterious deaths start again and force the brothers to reunite in a bid to destroy the toy for good.

Wan said in a statement: "Stephen King is the godfather of the horror genre.

"He had a huge influence on me as a child and throughout my career, and it’s always been a dream to help bring one of his stories to life.

"'The Monkey' is a personal favorite, with its simple, iconic and incredibly marketable conceit.

"And I can’t imagine anyone better than a visionary and lifelong genre fan like Osgood to bring this to life.”

Wan is serving as producer with Atomic Monster partner Michael Clear and both Jason Cloth and Dave Caplan from C2 Motion Picture Group.

The team behind the movie - which will be launched by Black Bear International ahead of the Cannes market - is working on additional casting.

Cloth and Caplan added: “We couldn’t be more excited to partner with Osgood, James, Brian and our friends at Black Bear International to present Stephen King’s 'The Monkey'.

"It perfectly checks the box of what is working in the marketplace right now and will be a hot property.

"We can’t wait for audiences to see Theo James in this role – he is really going to knock it out the park with an amazing performance.”