Dan Stevens, Christopher Plummer to star in Charles Dickens biopic 'The Man Who Invented Christmas'

Dan Stevens and Christopher Plummer are getting into the Christmas spirit.

Bleecker Street has picked up the U.S. rights to The Man Who Invented Christmas, chronicling how Charles Dickens set out to write A Christmas Carol. Stevens is set to star as Dickens himself, while Plummer will play Scrooge, and Game of Thrones alum Jonathan Pryce will play Dickens’ father.

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day director Bharat Nalluri is on board to direct from a script by Susan Coyne (Mozart in the Jungle), based on Les Standiford’s 2008 book of the same name. The Man Who Invented Christmas picks up in October 1843, where a broke Dickens is struggling to make ends meet. After his last few books flopped, Dickens set out to write a new hit, drafting the beloved tale of A Christmas Carol in just six weeks and introducing the world to Ebenezer Scrooge, Tiny Tim, and Bob Cratchit.

“This is a Dickens we have not seen before, young, driven, and on a mission,” Nalluri said in a statement. “A story full of the wit, wisdom, and warmth he gave us all. What a privilege it is to be directing this wonderful film.”

Principal photography is set to begin in December. Bleecker Street plans to release The Man Who Invented Christmas in 2017.