Robert Pattinson to play Lawrence of Arabia

Los Angeles - Robert Pattinson will star as Lawrence of Arabia in Queen of the Desert.

The Twilight heartthrob has been cast as the male lead opposite Naomi Watts in Werner Herzog's historical drama about the life of revolutionary writer Gertrude Bell.

The 26-year-old star will play T.E. Lawrence, a British Army officer whose writing earned him international recognition under the name Lawrence of Arabia.

Naomi is already on board as pioneering figure Gertrude, who was an author, archaeologist, explorer and political attaché for the British Empire and defined the borders of the Middle East. She was also one of the first women to graduate from Oxford University.

T.E. and Gertrude were close friends and worked together to establish the Hashemite dynasties in what became Jordan and Iraq. Robert follows in the footsteps of Peter O'Toole, who played the writer in David Lean's classic 1962 movie.

Cassian Elwes and Nick Raslan are attached to produce, according to Empire.

Robert will next be seen in David Cronenberg's Cosmopolis and the in-demand actor is set to star with Guy Pearce in Australian drama The Rover, as well as in indie thriller Mission: Blacklist.

Queen of the Desert will begin shooting this year.