Natalie Dormer joins Mel Gibson, Sean Penn drama Professor and the Madman 

(Steve Granitz/WireImage; Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images; Anthony Harvey/FilmMagic)

Sean Penn in talks to star with Mel Gibson in 'Professor and the Madman'

star Natalie Dormer is plotting a return to the big screen with a starring role in the upcoming Mel Gibson/Sean Penn drama 

Adapted from Simon Winchester’s book of the same name (originally titled 

Penn is set for the role of Dr. W.C. Minor, an inmate at an asylum for the criminally insane, who initially submitted approximately 10,000 entries for inclusion in a compilation curated by Professor James Murray (Gibson) in 1857. Murray’s work would later evolve to become the

Dormer will play the widow of a man killed by Penn’s character. According to

, which first reported news of Dormer’s casting, a “complicated romance” ensures as Minor attempts to help the woman’s family. 

Gibson acquired the rights to Winchester’s book all the way back in 1998. He initially intended to direct the film as the follow-up to his Oscar-winning 1995 epic

Voltage Pictures, the company behind recent awards season powerhouses like 

, will shop the film to potential buyers at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival in September. Production reportedly kicks off the following month in Europe.

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