Maisie Williams, Freddie Highmore to star in 'Sinner V. Saints'

May 9 (UPI) -- Maisie Williams and Freddie Highmore are set to star in Sinner V. Saints, which is based on a true story about an ex-beauty queen and a Mormon missionary.

Sinner V. Saints follows the true story of Joyce McKinney who went to extreme lengths to stop the Mormon church from taking away missionary Kirk Anderson, who had become her sexual obsession.

McKinney was eventually accused of kidnapping and rape. Filmmaker Errol Morris perviously covered the subject in 2010 documentary Tabloid.

Tim Kirkby (Fleabag, Veep) is directing with Jill Hope penning the script. The film is based on the book Joyce McKinney and the Case of the Manacled Mormon.

Sinner V. Saints will be set in 1970s Los Angeles and London. WestEnd Films will shop the project to buyers at Cannes. The film will begin production in 2023 in the U.S. and U.K.

"I've never read a more no-holds-barred fever dream of a script that whisks the reader on a journey of sex, obsession and rock 'n' religion like Sinner V. Saints. Obsessive, first love is a magnificent premise, and sprinkle on top a killer true story involving abduction, quirky supporting characters an the era of free love and you have a cocktail of something very potent. It is a pleasure to roll around in the world of our anti-heroine Joyce McKinney," Kirkby said in a statement.