Jamie Dornan is to star in 'Anthropoid'.

The 'Fifty Shades of Grey' actor will star opposite Cillian Murphy in the World War II thriller, which tells the story of the attempted assassination of prominent Nazi official Reinhard Heydrich by two British-trained soldiers from Czechoslovakia's army-in-exile.

British filmmaker Sean Ellis will direct from a script he has co-written with Anthony Frewin and is looking forward to bringing the tale to the big screen.

He said: ''I feel incredibly proud to bring the story of Anthropoid to the big screen.

''I have been fascinated by the story for the last 14 years and find it immensely humbling to explore the bravery of the men and women of the Czech resistance who sacrificed themselves for the freedom of their country while dealing a blow into the heart of Nazi Germany.

''In the Czech Republic, it is a story of great national pride and it's time to tell the world that story.''

The title of the movie refers to Operation Antropoid, the code-name for the operation to kill the head of the SS, who was widely considered to be third in the Nazi ranks behind Adolf Hitler and Heinrich Himmler.

As well as 'Athropoid', another movie about the assassination mission is also in the works, with David Farr's script 'HHhH' - an adaptation of the Laurent Binet novel - currently gathering support thanks to producer Alain Goldman, though it has no cast or a sales company attached yet.

Jamie will next start work on thriller 'The Siege of Jadotville', which is due to shoot in the spring.