Jennifer Lawrence will star in the film <em>The Dive</em>

Los Angeles - Jennifer Lawrence is set to star in The Dive.

The Oscar-winning actress is attached to the James Cameron developed project based on the true story of married free divers Francisco 'Pipin' Ferraras and Audrey Mestre.

Cameron had been working on film for years but he will no longer be able to helm the movie himself due to
his commitments to The Avatar sequels and so has passed directing responsibilities to Francis Lawrence, according to website The Wrap.

Francis helmed the last two instalments of The Hunger Games franchise and once he was offered The Dive he wanted Jennifer involved.

Jennifer, 24, will play Audrey who tragically died in October 2002 during an attempt to beat her own free diving world record of reaching 557.7 feet with no breathing apparatus. During her ascent off the shore of

Bayahibe Beach in the Dominican Republic there was a malfunction with the lift balloon.

As a tribute to his late wife Francisco dived to the same depth and the event was filmed by Cameron.

Cameron, 60, had tried to get the project made on several occasions, but now he has made a deal with Francis shooting is due to start in the coming months with a script penned by Dana Stevens partly inspired by Francisco's book about his late wife, The Dive: A Story of Love and Obsession.