AceShowbiz -

Keira Knightley is set to play Coco Chanel in a short film to be directed by Karl Lagerfeld. The mini film will mark the 100th anniversary of the French fashion house, and it will be filmed in the seaside town of Deauville, where the first Chanel boutique opened in 1913, financed by her lover Captain Arthur "Boy" Capel, a wealthy British aristocrat.

Knightey will star in the film alongside French actress Clotilde Hemse who will play Coco's aunt, Adrienne. Tallulah Harlech, Stella Tennant, musician Caroline De Maigret, and model Brad Kroenig will also star in the film.

Lagerfeld said that the early 20th Century Deauville would be recreated using "detailed retro sets," as much of the town has been modernized since Coco Chanel's day. The short film will be shot later this week for a May premiere, when the brand showcases the next Cruise collection in Singapore.

Knightley, the face of Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle fragrance, was handpicked by Lagerfeld. The two have been longtime friends. The designer is rumored to be working on the actress' wedding gown for her marriage to James Righton. The actress describes Lagerfeld as "amazing."

"Karl's amazing. He's an avid reader, and he speaks about five different languages, so he'll be rattling off in English to you and in French to someone else, and in German to someone else and then the phone rings and he's speaking in Italian," Knightley recently talked about her close friendship with the designer.