Rebecca Hall has bagged the lead role in Stephen Frears' adaptation of Beth Raymer's book Lay The Favorite: A Memoir Of Gambling .
The memoirs are a coming-of-age tale set against the rise of internet gambling and offshore sports gambling.
Hall is taking on the lead character, a 30-something woman who teams up with some middle-aged maths nerds who have discovered a way to beat the house.
Hall's name had been unofficially attached to the project for some time. Bruce Willis had also been connected to a role, though nothing has been confirmed as yet.
The film is written by Frears' High Fidelity writer D.V. DeVincentis, who said that the story's gamblers: "have an intense pride in a very specific expertise - and a lack of socialisation."
Lay The Favorite is set to be Frears' next movie, with production scheduled to begin this year.
Hall has been quietly impressing for some time, in films as diverse as The Prestige , Starter for 10 and Vicky Cristina Barcelona .
Frears last movie, Tamara Drewe , earned great reviews, but only managed modest box office takings.
