Lily James, Armie Hammer to star in 'Rebecca' remake

Nov. 14 (UPI) -- Downton Abbey alum Lily James and Call Me By Your Name actor Armie Hammer have signed on to star in a new adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's 1938 gothic novel, Rebecca, Netflix announced Wednesday.

Ben Wheatley -- whose credits include Kill List and High Rise -- is to direct the romantic thriller from a script written by Jane Goldman, who also penned the Kingsman blockbusters.

"It tells the story of a newly-married young woman who, on arriving at her husband's imposing family estate on a bleak English coast, finds herself battling the shadow of his dead first wife, the mysterious Rebecca, whose legacy continues to haunt the house," the streaming service said in a press release announcing the casting for its Rebecca remake.

The classic book has been adapted several times for the stage and screen, perhaps most memorable is director Alfred Hitchcock's 1940 film, featuring Joan Fontaine and Laurence Olivier.

James starred in the summer's hit movie musical, Mamma Mia 2: Here We Go Again.

Among Hammer's films are The Social Network and The Lone Ranger. He will next be seen in the Ruth Bader Ginsberg biopic, On the Basis of Sex.