Doctor Who actor Matt Smith will play avant-garde photographer Robert Mapplethorpe in a new biopic film.

Mapplethorpe will begin filming this summer.

Written and directed by Ondi Timoner (Dig!, Brand: A Second Coming), the movie will also star Girls actress Zosia Mamet as Patti Smith, Mapplethorpe’s one-time lover and best friend.

Mapplethorpe is best known for his controversial sexual images of New York’s underground BDSM scene and died of AIDS in 1989 at the age of 42.

Director Ondi Timoner told Deadline: “After several years of developing this script and searching across the globe for the perfect talent to embody the rich and layered roles of visionary artists Robert Mapplethorpe and Patti Smith, I am ecstatic to have found Matt Smith and Zosia Mamet. They will bring indelible passion, raw humanity, and authenticity to this timeless, inspiring story.”

Matt Smith will next be seen in UK cinemas in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies next month, with his Netflix series The Crown and zombie thriller Patient Zero arriving later this year.

Are you looking forward to the movie? Let us know below…