Nicholas Hoult will become author JD Salinger for Rebel in the Rye

There is a JD Salinger biopic in the works, and Nicholas Hoult is game for the title role.

Earlier today, Hoult was announced to be taking the part of the legendary author responsible for the classic CATCHER IN THE RYE in a new film from Danny Strong titled REBEL IN THE RYE. Strong will be getting behind the camera, in addition to have written the script, for the film set to tell the story of how the famous novel came to be. Strong, creator of Fox's EMPIRE, is working from the Kenneth Slawenski biography JD Salinger: A Life. and will seek to give us insight into who Salinger was and what made him tick. REBEL will take us on a trek through the writer's life, through his rebellious younger days to his time serving during World War II and ultimately up through his crafting of CATCHER IN THE RYE and his accompanying seclusion.

Hoult, last seen in this summer's MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, is currently in the midst of shooting X-MEN: APOCALYPSE, where he'll be reprising his role as Hank McCoy/Beast for Bryan Singer's latest mutant picture.

Get out your copies of CATCHER IN THE RYE (or maybe just the CliffsNotes), ladies and gents… You'll probably want to familiarize yourself with what's at the heart of REBEL going forward, especially since you know you haven't read it since high school.

Nicholas Hoult can be seen in two films at this year's Toronto International Film Festival – KILL YOUR FRIENDS and EQUALS. However, you can see him in MAD MAX: FURY ROAD again tomorrow, as it hits Blu-ray and DVD on September 1.