Helen as wife of Leo Tolstoy

Helen Mirren will portray the wife of Leo Tolstoy in a forthcoming biopic about the great Russian writer entitled The Last Station.

Helen is to star as Sofia Tolstoy opposite Christopher Plummer, who has been cast as the War and Peace author. They replace Meryl Streep and Anthony Hopkins, who had previously been announced in the roles.

The Last Station will describe the tumultuous final year in the life of Tolstoy and his troubled marriage. The movie will be directed by Michael Hoffman, who previously shot the 1999 film adaptation of Shakespeare's A Midsummer's Night Dream and the 1995 costume drama Restoration. The production is an adaptation of the eponymous 1990 book by Jay Parini and begins filming in Germany next week.