AceShowbiz -

Nicholas Hoult is on board a new biopic of "Catcher in the Rye" author J.D. Salinger. The British actor will play the main character in "Rebel in the Rye" which is directed and written by Danny Strong.

Strong, who also wrote the script for "Lee Daniels' The Butler", adapted the screenplay from Kenneth Slawenski biography "J.D. Salinger: A Life". The book explores Salinger's privileged youth, romance, service in the World War II, early writing successes and the triumph of "Catcher in the Rye".

According to Variety, the movie will explore the life and mind of the secretive author and tell the story of the birth of "Catcher in the Rye". It also takes on his rebellious youth, his experiences on the bloody front lines of World War II, enduring great love and terrible loss, a life of rejection to the pages of the New Yorker and his writer's block - which led to a spiritual awakening.

"Rebel in the Rye" will be shopped around at the upcoming Toronto Film Festival by Bloom. " 'The Catcher in the Rye' is a classic coming-of-age story which continues to make a significant impression six generations later," said Alex Walton of Bloom. "The world has long been fascinated with J.D. Salinger, whom the talented Nicholas Hoult will bring to life in this enigmatic role."