The World War I drama Birdsong filmmaker Rupert Wyatt has found his leading man.

As Collider revealed citing The Hollywood Reporter, Nicholas Hoult is set to star in the pic, which is based on the novel of the same name by Sebastian Faulks. The story spans three generations and centers on a young Englishman who strikes up a love affair with a French woman and then enters the war. Hoult will play said Englishman, and Wyatt described the actor as the “holy grail” in his search to fill the role.

Hoult recently proved his chops at handling the lead with the swell zombie romance film Warm Bodies, and he’ll be seen next month toplining Bryan Singer’s fantasy adventure Jack the Giant Slayer. He’s gearing up to shoot the sequel X-Men: Days of Future Past, but Birdsong will film later this year for a planned fall 2014 release.