Patrick Schwarzenegger and Bella Thorne are to star in 'Midnight Sun'.

Patrick - the son of Hollywood action legend Arnold Schwarzenegger - and 'My Own Worst Enemy' actress Bella Thorne will play lovers in the new movie based on the 2006 Japanese film of the same name.

The casting announcement was revealed by Deadline.com and the 21-year-old actor's proud mother Maria Shriver took to Twitter to share the article and congratulate her son.

She tweeted: ''Congrats to @PSchwarzenegger! So exciting. Hard work pays off. (sic)''.

The plot of the original 'Midnight Sun' film focuses on sheltered 17-year-old girl Kaoru Amane who suffers from the rare skin condition xeroderma pigmentosum (XP), a disease that makes her so sensitive to sunlight that even a little exposure could kill her.

However, her life is changed when she meets a boy named Koji Fujishiro and they embark on a summer romance.

The story to the remake will remain the same but with the characters' names changed to Katie and Charlie and the setting moved to the US.

'Midnight Sun' is the first lead role for Patrick - whose ex-girlfriend is Miley Cyrus - who previously played a frat boy in the comedy 'Grown Ups 2'.

Shooting is due to start on the project in September.