The British actor joined the all-star cast of John Wells's stage-to-screen adaptation of Tracy Letts's August: Osage County, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The 41-year-old actor will portray a professor who leaves his controlling wife (Julia Roberts) for one of his students.
Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper (Syriana), Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) and Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) are also part of the cast for this drama about the reunion of a dysfunctional family in the wake of its patriarch's death.
George Clooney will coproduce the movie based on the 2008 Pulitzer prize-winning play. Letts is becoming a hot commodity for movie producers looking for inspiration: William Friedkin's Killer Joe is also based on his play of the same name.